Fire department has advice for fire safety during holidays Published Nov. 20, 2013 By Paul Kempton 375th Civil Engineering Squadron deputy fire chief SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The Scott Air Force Base fire department is hosting the annual Keep the Wreath Red campaign. The wreaths are located at Fire Station 1 on Hangar Road and Fire Station 2 in Patriots Landing. Every wreath is lit with red bulbs, and the goal is to have the wreath remain lit with all red bulbs from Dec. 1 through Jan. 1, 2014. For every reportable fire during the holiday season a white bulb signifying a reportable fire replaces a red bulb. This has been a very successful campaign in the past years and the fire department hopes the tradition continues. Fires occurring between Thanksgiving and New Year's claim the lives of more than 400 people, injure approximately 1,650 people and cause more than $990 million in damage each year. Kitchen fires account for 41 percent of all residential fires, with unattended cooking as the leading cause followed by bedroom and heating system fires. During the winter holidays there is an increase in electrical and open flame fires as a result of Christmas trees, holiday decorations, and the use of candles. According to the United States Fire Administration, there are simple life-saving steps you can take to ensure a safe and happy holiday. Holiday decorating and lighting · Live Christmas trees are only allowed in base housing, not in other base facilities. · Use caution with holiday decorations. Whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant or non-combustible materials. · Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees. · Do not leave burning candles unattended. · Purchase only lights and electrical decorations bearing the name of an independent testing lab, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation and maintenance. · Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. Do not overload extension cords. · Check your strands of lights to determine the number of strands that may be connected. Connect no more than three strands of push-in bulbs and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs. · Always unplug lights before replacing light bulbs or fuses. · Do not mount lights in any way that can damage the cord's wire insulation (i.e., using staples, clips, or nails). · Do not use electric lights on metallic trees. · Only use indirect, off-the-tree lighting with metallic trees. · Use artificial tinsel and plastic ornaments to avoid shock hazards. · Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations. · Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving the house or going to bed. Holiday Entertaining · Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. When cooking for the holiday and visiting with guests, remember to keep an eye on the range. · Wherever you smoke, provide plenty of large, deep ashtrays and check them frequently. Cigarette butts can smolder in the trash and cause a fire, so completely douse cigarette butts with water before discarding. · After a party, always check on, between, and under upholstery, cushions, and inside trash cans for cigarette butts that may be smoldering. · Keep matches and lighters up high, out of sight and reach of children (preferably in a locked cabinet). When smokers visit your home, ask them to keep their smoking materials out of reach of young children. · Test your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector and let guests know what your fire escape plan is. For more information, contact the Fire Prevention Office at 256-3378. As a reminder, if you have any kind of an emergency, call 911 immediately for assistance.