Dear Editor
Thanks to timely rains, relatively cooler temperatures, and an abundance of caution by San Saba County residents, there were fewer wildland fires this year than usual. Unfortunately, several devastating home fires occurred throughout the county, and colder weather ushers in the winter fire season. The second leading cause of home fires in the U.S. is heating (cooking is No. 1).
Please use this checklist and exercise caution in your home: CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
• Don’t overload light strands. Read manufacturer’s instructions for the number of light strands to connect. Check strands for bare wires, loose bulbs or exposed sockets.
• Keep Christmas trees at least three feet away from fireplaces, space heaters, heat vents, candles, etc.
• Get rid of your tree after Christmas or when it dries out.
• The peak day for candle fires is Christmas Day. Half of home decoration fires in December are caused by candles. Avoid using open flame candles.
HOME HEATING
• Have your chimney cleaned thoroughly every year.
• What NOT to burn in your fireplace: magazines, Christmas wrapping, treated wood, wet wood, evergreen wood (cedar, Christmas trees), wood pallets, cardboard, lighter fluid, trash, leaves, cloth, charcoal. These items emit carcinogens, creosote, or both.
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from space heaters and fireplaces.
• Store cooled fireplace ashes outside in a closed metal container, at least 10 feet from the house.
• Don’t use an extension cord on a space heater.
• Never use one outlet or circuit for more than one heating source.
• Don’t leave a portable heater unattended, and turn it off before going to bed.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors, and test them once a month.
• Keep portable generators outside, away from windows, and as far from the house as possible.
• If you smell gas, GET OUT and call 911 once you get outside.
The San Saba Volunteer Fire Department wishes you a Merry Christmas and a safe, wonderful holiday season. Thanks for doing your part to keep your community a great place to live.
Larry Hanrahan San Saba VFD Public Information Officer