Fire department prepares for holiday season
There have been 90 fires in Columbia this year, according to the Columbia Fire Department. This number counts everything from stove top fires to house fires, but this number comes before the holidays, a season wrought with flames due to festivities.
“The real threat this holiday season is the unattended fires,” CFD spokesman Steven Patt said. “Fires do increase during the holiday period due to many reasons.”
Cooking fires left unattended are the biggest due to the increased cooking and activity around Thanksgiving and Christmas, Patt said. He also said even fireplaces and wood burning stoves can become dangerous if left unattended. Space heaters left unattended and leaving combustibles near the space heaters can also be as much of a hazard as the cooking fires, Patt said.
“The biggest thing we can tell people is to pay attention,” Patt said. “It can happen if you step away, even for just a second.”
Patt also said the Columbia Fire Department is getting the community involved with fire prevention this year with what they call the "Red Wreath Challenge." The firehouse hangs a wreath on the front door with all red bulbs. Every time there is a home fire within the community the firehouse changes one of the bulbs to white, Patt said.
“Our challenge to the community is to keep the bulbs red,” Patt said.
Patt also said information and tips on how to prevent house fires are always available on the Columbia Fire Department’s Web site. The CFD will soon be issuing news releases within the week and next month to explain ways to keep people’s houses safe during the holiday season.
“Today is the day to test your smoke alarm,” Patt said. “Test it now, make sure that it works so that in the event of a fire you’ll have an early warning to that fire.”