Oktibbeha County and Starkville fire officials are urging residents to use common sense with heating elements, Christmas displays and cooking appliances this holiday season as winter’s cooler temperatures usually bring with them an increase in emergency calls.
Starkville Fire Marshal Mark McCurdy and Oktibbeha County Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan said homeowners face a gambit of issues that could potentially spark massive structure fires, from open candles to flammable Christmas trees.
Using a bit of common sense, they said, can prevent a disaster from occurring.
“We see so many things this time of year. It’s cold, so people don’t go outside as much, and they’re using more electricity and natural gas,” McCurdy said. “The potential for accidents grows each winter.”
According to the U.S. Fire Administration’s website, cooking and heating accidents caused a combined 57.7 percent of 2011’s total residential fires. Open flames, electrical malfunctions, appliances, other heating sources and smoking caused a combined 20.3 percent of those same incidents.
Fires started by smokers were the second leading cause of fatal residential building fires that year, while cooking fires caused 28.6 percent of fires that resulted in injuries.
Residents should never leave kitchen appliances unattended while cooking and always make sure smoke detectors are not only placed in areas with heating elements, but also properly powered, McCurdy said.
Fire extinguishers should also be placed and primed in case of an accident.
McCurdy says homeowners should never attempt to heat their homes with improper equipment, like stoves and ovens. Using improper heating elements in this fashion is a major contributor to winter fires, he said.
Residents should also make sure space heaters are placed next to and used near flammable materials, like couches and beds. McCurdy recommends that families invest in space heaters that have emergency cut-off controls to prevent tip-over fires and hire professionals to properly clean chimneys.
When families transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas, other dangers follow with seasonal displays.
Residents should be mindful to water live Christmas trees or purchase fire-retardant, synthetic trees, and homeowners should never overload circuits with Christmas lights or seasonal displays that require electricity.
Candle burning also increases in the winter, and McCurdy said residents should always extinguish open flames before leaving their homes or going to bed.
“We want everyone to be safe this holiday season, and a few things here and there can make the difference between safety and danger,” he said.
Once residents begin taking down Christmas ornaments, many choose to shoot fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Starkville has a ban on firework usage, but residents may do so in the outlying county areas.
People should be aware of how individual fireworks detonate and know the effect they produce, Rosenhan said. A nearby detonation can lead to burns and concussive injuries.
Besides personal injuries, fireworks can also ignite brush and house fires.
“We’ve even seen a home’s roof engulfed in flames because a bottle rocket landed in a gap that was filled with pine straw,” Rosenhan said. “If you’re going to shoot fireworks in the county, always bring with you either a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water. At the very least, make sure you’re near a water hose.”
Both city and county fire departments give out free smoke detectors for residents in need. To receive one from county officials, call Rosenhan at 662-435-0565. Starkville residents can call Fire Station No. 1 at 662-323-1277.
Fire officials at both departments have smoke detectors for hearing and visually impaired residents.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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