OKEECHOBEE — With the holiday season upon us, now is the time to think seriously about fire safety in your home.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, between the years 2013 and 2017, fire departments in the United States responded to an average of 160 home fires that began with Christmas trees each year. On average, another 780 fires each year begin with holiday decorations other than Christmas trees. A home fire that starts with a Christmas tree is three times more likely to result in a death than other home fires. In those same years, an average of 22 fires were reported every day due to the use of home candles.

Capt. Ryan Hathaway, Okeechobee County Fire Rescue’s community risk reduction specialist, said one in five fires in the wintertime is related to holidays, whether it be candles, Christmas trees, cooking, things like that. Live Christmas trees that have dried out are one of the biggest dangers. “Your tree should never be closer than three feet from any ignition or heat source. Pine is highly flammable, and as the tree gets dehydrated, it becomes more and more dangerous.” He said he has seen quite a few Christmas tree fires in the years he has worked as a firefighter.

“It is about 50-50 between electrical and dehydration,” he said. “You should be safe as long as the tree is three feet away, and you are keeping it hydrated. Keep that bowl under the tree completely full of water at all times.” Hathaway said it is important to check indoor and outdoor holiday lights before you use them. Don’t just plug them in and think they are fine as long as they come on. You should check the entire strand for any frays, cuts or exposed wires. If you find any of these types of problems, throw the lights out.

Hathaway said the firefighters have done a demonstration a couple of times out at the health and safety expo. They get two Christmas trees and they borrow a side by side burn trailer. They set up living rooms on both sides and keep them similar to each other. One has sprinklers, and one does not. They tell the crowd about smoke alarms, and demonstrate how fast fires actually happen and how little time there really is to get out. “On average, it’s two minutes or less. That’s why we push working smoke alarms, knowing two ways out and closing before dozing. Teach your children to close the door. You buy time, because it keeps the heat and smoke out of your room. Then, maybe you can get out of a window.” He said if you have small children, elderly people or someone with a handicap in your home, it is very important to teach them the second way out so they don’t get trapped. “Fire grows so fast. Everything in our homes nowadays burns so fast. Most things are not real wood anymore. They are made out of petroleum products. Everything in our houses today is made from highly flammable material. This is why it all burns so fast.”

He went on to stress the importance of working smoke alarms to wake you in case of a fire in the night. “They can wake you in seconds.” He and his fellow firefighters do fire drills at home with their families, because they have seen how fast a fire can consume a house. They want to be sure their children are safe. He said one of the firefighters woke his kids up in the night for a drill, and asked one how he was going to get out of his room, because there was fire on the other side of the door. The boy said he would go out the window, which was the correct answer but not enough to make the firefighter feel secure about his safety. “I want to SEE you go out the window,” he said. “Show me you know what to do. Don’t just tell me.” Hathaway does the same thing with his children, although he laughed and said it would probably backfire on him someday, because he has daughters. “It’s important to me to know that if something happens, they can get out, they know another way out.”

When Hathaway goes into schools to teach about fire safety, he tells the kids, “You know the Bogeyman is not real! Close before you doze! It could save your life.”

Cooking fires are another big hazard around this time of year. Sixty percent of home fires are caused by cooking fires. Sometimes it is caused by water in grease, he said, but more often, it is caused by unattended cooking. You leave something in the oven and forget about it. Make sure you set a timer, one that will make a loud noise when it’s time to check the oven. Another problem in the kitchen is burns caused by loose clothing. “People dress nice around the holidays and it’s a little cooler, so they wear long sleeves, and the sleeve might fall into the flame on the stove or the oven. With kids around, you should make sure you turn handles away so they can’t reach up and grab them, pulling something hot down on themselves.

Another big one around Thanksgiving is the turkey fryer. “There are always fires all over the country with those, but we have never had one here. Make sure they are outside rather than in the garage, because if that oil overflows, you will have a giant fireball!”

When considering costumes for Halloween, make sure you choose something that is not too loose, because if the fabric is loose, it could catch fire if children walk close to flames. You should also choose flame-resistant or flame-retardant fabric. Never let children play with or carry lit candles. Consider using battery-powered candles or flashlights in your jack-o-lanterns and make sure your children have adult supervision at all times while at parties or going door to door.

A large part of Hathaway’s job is educating the public, and he thoroughly enjoys going to the schools to meet the kids and help them recognize the dangers of fire. Since COVID-19, he has had to adapt his program, because the public schools are not allowing anyone in at this time. Instead, Hathaway has come up with some virtual programming. He said it has worked really well, especially with the younger children. He hopes to be back in the classrooms soon, though, because he really misses that part of the job.