Holiday season brings safety measures to follow to ensure a safe celebration

The holiday season is one of the most enjoyable times of the year for many as they get to see family and friends. It is crucial that proper safety measures are followed to ensure everyone can safely celebrate this year.

John Percy is Captain Fire Prevention Officer with the Cambridge Fire Department and explained the leading cause of home fires, especially during the holidays.

“The leading cause of fires in the home today is unattended pots on the stove. If you are going to be cooking in the kitchen for the holidays, stay in the kitchen. If the pot on the stove ever does catch on fire the best way to put it out is to put on an oven mitt and slide a lid over the pot. What this does is take away the oxygen,” stated Percy.

He said some of the other leading causes of fires over the holidays include smoking in the house.

“Make sure that cigarettes’ ashes are discarded in metal ash trays, not plastic or recyclable ones. Those ashes should be emptied in a metal container and not a garbage can itself. Also, make sure the ashes are put outside once they’re cooled off,” explained Percy.

Proper candle safety is very important around the holiday season and if you have consumed large amounts of alcohol, Percy stated that it is not a good idea to be cooking because “your reaction times are a lot slower when under the influence.”

If you are celebrating Christmas this year, it is important to take safe precautions when dealing with real Christmas trees.

“Before you put on the lights, check to make sure they all work and if there are any that are damaged do not use them. You also want to keep in mind to never use real flames on a Christmas tree, like candles.” said Percy.

Percy also discussed the importance of having working carbon monoxide alarms in homes after a carbon monoxide poisoning left one person dead in Kitchener on Tuesday.

“The challenge with carbon monoxide when it does leak, is it is what we call the ‘Silent Killer’. Like smoke with a fire, you can see the smoke particles, you can taste it, smell it, when carbon monoxide poisoning is released it is totally invisible,” he explained.

Percy continued by saying “If your alarm is going off, treat it like a smoke alarm. Get everyone out of the home immediately to your meeting place outside and as you’re leaving the home keep all of your windows and doors closed.”

Keeping the windows and doors closed ensures that when emergency crews arrive, they are able to find the source of the leak much easier.

If you are interested in learning more information on how to navigate the holidays safely this season you can here.