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Montgomery County officals issue reminder about home fire safety
The holiday season means colder temperatures but it also means the addition of potential danger in the home when it comes to fires.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - The holiday season means colder temperatures, and it also means the addition of potential danger in the home when it comes to fires.
From Christmas trees to space heaters, fire officials are once again emphasizing the need to keep fire safety front of mind – all a cause for care.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving marked Christmas tree shopping day for the McGraw family.
Darrell McGraw chose this bigger tree with his wife Mimi and two daughters.
"They like the nice, slim symmetrical tree but we’ve got to get the big tree," McGraw said.
But trees of any size are worrisome for fire officials. The McGraws say the introduction of this tree into their home gets their attention.
"We make sure first to get a healthy tree. The second part is to make sure we do our daily watering. We add it to the girls routine to water the tree, check the leaves, make sure it’s not drying out," said McGraw.
Maya McGraw doesn’t mind watering as a task added to her plate.
"Especially at first. It really drinks the water – really, really fast, so you kind of have to water it twice a day," she told FOX 5.
Pete Piringer with the Montgomery County Fire Department says keeping trees hydrated, away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators and space heaters and checking to make sure it’s green and healthy when you take it off the lot is crucial.
"It’s very important to keep the trees hydrated," he said.
If it’s an artificial tree, making sure it’s flame resistant should be a priority, he says. And when you’re stringing lights, be sure to not string too many together. If they’re older, check them and make sure the wires aren’t frayed.
It’s something Mimi McGraw says she’s on top of.
"We do check every year to make sure that our lights are working properly," she said.
Piringer says to give space heaters space and, a yearly reminder to not plug them into extension cords.
"You want to make sure that you don’t have anything combustible, anything that could burn close by, you should turn it off at night, or when you’re leaving a room. But the most important thing is don’t have it near a bed or a couch or anything, blankets, give space heaters space," Piringer said.
He also says to be careful with those lithium-ion batteries and don’t overcharge them.
FOX 5 asked Piringer, of all the things we’ve talked about, what gives him the most worry.
He says making sure you have working smoke alarms and a plan to get out of your home in case of an emergency should be top of mind.