GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- The Green Bay Metro Fire Department is once again hanging holiday wreaths on all of their fire stations. The wreaths, which will hang from Thanksgiving Day through January 1, 2021 are part of a campaign to promote fire safety during the holiday season.
For every residential fire that occurs during this holiday season, one light will be changed to red. This is not to celebrate residential fires but rather educate everyone on fire safety. Every year the city of Green Bay averages 15 residential fires during this season and careless cooking is usually the leading cause of these fires.
Here are their top safety tips to follow during this holiday season:
- Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors save lives. Make sure both of these are installed on every level of your home and outside each sleeping area. Check them once a month to make sure they are working properly and change the batteries once a year.
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop.
- Use turkey fryers outdoors; never use them on a wooden deck or in a garage.
- Keep holiday decorations (or any other flammable items) at least 3 feet from open flame and heat sources.
- Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Read manufacturer's instructions for number of light strands to connect.
- Water your Christmas Tree daily; a dry tree is dangerous because it can catch fire easily.
The hope is that people will be reminded to have a safe holiday season when they see the wreaths, and the goal is to keep these wreaths lit with all green lights this holiday season.
