It’s time to talk about safety as we head into the holidays! Fire Chief Michael Baker joined us at 9 in the morning with ways to stay safe while using space heaters and fire places, cooking, and more.
It’s a year round process when it comes to fire, but during the holidays, and certainly when it gets colder, there are some key issues firefighters have to deal with.
With a temperature change, the fire department starts seeing an increase in residential fires, Chief Baker said.
“So folks firing up their heating equipment that’s maybe under-maintained, folks using their fire place for the first time throughout the year, and there’s a nest or something that has been built inside of it. And in general, you know, we have to always check on our elderly and a lot of folks that have low incomes will use their oven as a heating device. And that’s not obviously a safe practice. And so as we break out our space heaters and things like that, it’s always good to keep them away from combustibles, no matter what, three feet at least minimum,” Chief Baker explained.
Chief Baker added that you should never leave a fire place on unattended or while you’re sleeping. He said to also make sure you have your heating and air conditioning serviced.
“Make sure you have a working smoke detector and it’s always good to have a carbon monoxide alarm. If you’ve had repair on your home over the summer, we’ve had a lot of roof repair, occasionally contractors will forget to vent something. And so you might notice that there’s a little bit of a headache or nausea or faint feeling. Make sure you have your systems checked that they’re working fine,” Chief Baker said.
The fire department will help anyone who needs help getting a smoke detector installed, Chief Baker said.
“We can assist with smoke alarms in your home, if you’re not able to find one or get one for yourself. So they just need to call the Tulsa Fire Department headquarters at 918-596-9444. And ask for someone to come by and check,” he said.
The department asks families and individuals to reach out and check on the elderly population or anyone with mobility issues who might not be able to climb a ladder and access their detectors.