Midland Fire Department Gives Safety Tips for Holidays
By: Marianne Elisak
Updated: December 5, 2012
MIDLAND--- Putting up Christmas decorations is the best part of the season for most. But with the lights and decorations, comes potential dangers.
Assistant Fire Marshall for the Midland Police Department, David Hickman, has been a firefighter for over 30 years. He says that during the holiday season, there is an increase in house fires.
"These things can happen very quickly" says Hickman, "We usually have one or two fires around Christmas time".
Hickman says that while people put up their Christmas trees and fill the bottom with presents, this could be a fire hazard.
"Packaging could ignite and cause a severe fire" says Hickman.
Stove fires are also the most common fires in Midland and Hickman says it's due to people getting distracted.
The Midland Fire Department provided the following safety tips to prevent fires this holiday season:
- When putting up Christmas lights, be sure to use quality lighting
- Don't overload circuits and extension chords
- Don't overload circuits and extension chords
- Don't piggy-back multi-adapters
- Don't run extension chords under rugs or carpeting
- Make sure smoke detectors are working and have full battery power
- Don't use flammable liquids on fire places
- Don't use heat devices in pet homes, use a blanket instead
