Ranch Cities Fire Chiefs share tips for fire safety

The Pilot Point Fire Department wraps up a fi re Sept. 18 at Pecan Creek Road after a refrigerator motor malfunctioned and set the fridge and the wall behind it ablaze. Photo Courtesy of PPFD

By Basil Gist

Staff Writer

       As the holiday season comes into full swing and the turkey fryers come out and the Halloween decorations go up, local fire departments remind citizens about the importance of fire prevention and safety.

       In several of the Ranch Cities, a string of structure fires gives reason to readdress some safety guidelines.

       “Frequency is one of those things,” Pilot Point Fire Department Assistant Chief Bryan Cox said. “We can go two or three months and not see a fire of any kind and then hit a stretch of a month and we’re fighting every kind of fire we can think of.”

       Tioga Volunteer Fire Department Chief Richard Hartman explained the holiday season often brings an uptick in fires.

       “Over the holiday season we normally see about a 25% increase through the holiday season starting with Halloween because a lot of people are using more outdoor decorations,” Hartman said.

       As the weather cools down and the thought of a crackling fire in the chimney becomes more appealing, Cox urged residents to check their fireplaces.

       “Typically, our biggest structure fires at this time of the year are fireplaces,” Cox said. “A lot of times it’s lack of maintenance.

It’s one of those things that I don’t even think about in my own home. The chimney is out of sight, out of mind, so it’s one of the things we don’t think about until it happens.”

       Hartman added that outdoor string lights, which have become more popular as Halloween décor in addition to Christmas, also require some maintenance or replacing over time.

       “Replace your strings of lights that have worn or broken chords,” Hartman said. “Strings of lights aren’t made to last forever, so as they dry out or become weathered, if they become discolored, replace them.”

       Whether it be lights, inflatables or other decorations, Cox explained that surge protectors are a good preventative method when plugging several things into the same outlet.

       “It gives you the potential to overload it that way,” Cox said. “Anytime in my house we go more than two things into a single outlet, we go to a surge protector. It’s the built-in protection that takes the risk out of it most of the time.”

       For outdoor cooking, especially turkey frying, Hartman said it’s important to have an extinguisher on hand.

        “You want to look for an ABC,” Hartman said. “If you’re frying a turkey, I’d recommend finding a [Class] K fire extinguisher, but for most kitchens an ABC works great.”

       Class A covers wood, coal and trash; B is flammable liquids and gases; C is for electrical; and K is for cooking fires.

       The extinguishers will also sport a dial to check once a year. So long as it’s reading green, the extinguisher should be good to go, Hartman said.

       Hartman had instructions in the event a cooking fire breaks out without an extinguisher nearby.

       “Call 911 immediately and some people have fire blankets especially with the newer electric cars that are out there, throw a fire blanket over it,” Hartman said. “If it’s in the kitchen, throw a lid over it. Some people have used baking soda for smaller fires, but most importantly activate the 911 system to start your local fire department heading your way.”

       Both chiefs also spoke about smoke detectors, when to change the batteries, and how often they need to be replaced as a whole.

       “You should change your batteries in the smoke detector twice a year, and we just always use the spring time change and the fall time change as indicators that it’s time to change your batteries,” Cox said. “Most smoke detector manufacturers will tell you to change the detector within the 8–10 year time span.”