By Sheena Roszell

Fire prevention and trees, not just for wildfire season

Dec 8, 2018 | 4:30 AM

The Grande Prairie Fire Department wants everyone to have a safe holiday season.

“Working smoke alarms save lives, so make sure that you test your alarms.  And have a fire safety plan; make sure that you know two ways out of the house, and have a meeting place, and once you’re out, stay out,” explains Blaine Dempsey, Fire Prevention Officer with the Grande Prairie Fire Department.

He says if you’re getting a real Christmas tree, there are some extra safety rules to follow.

“A lot of people do get real Christmas trees and it’s important that you get a tree that’s alive with fresh green needles that won’t fall off when they’re touched.  In regard to lights, you want to use lights that are for indoor, not outdoor use and you always want to make sure that you shut off the lights when you leave or go to bed and never burn candles on a Christmas tree.”

He says burning candles on Christmas trees was something people used to more often years ago, but it still does happen, and the fire department is advising against burning candles on trees, real or fake.

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Dempsey says one of the most common causes of house fires is when cigarettes are put out in potted plants.  He says there still could be enough heat to start a smouldering fire, it then starts the plant on fire, then the siding and sometimes even reaches the roof.