Staying safe at home: Winter increases the need to practice home fire safety

Cooking is part of many holiday plans. But be aware that the State Fire Marshal's Office is seeing an increase in kitchen-related fires.
Kitchen fires, along with fires related to home heating, are the most common types of calls the Morgan City Fire Department responds to at this time of year.
The most important thing a homeowner can do is have a smoke detector, Morgan City Fire Chief Alvin Cockerham said Wednesday.
Cockerham said “unattended cooking” is something that is common in fire calls they respond to, with people saying they were just gone simply for a few minutes.
“That’s all it takes sometimes,” he said, noting that leaving something unattended on the stove for five minutes or forgetting it in the oven can lead to a fire. “It may seem like five minutes, but it’s probably longer than five minutes.”
The State Fire Marshal’s Office urges people not to leave the home when cooking and not to leave the kitchen when cooking using a stove.
Along with those steps comes the smoke detector.
“Smoke detectors save countless, countless lives,” Cockerham said. “That’s one of the best things anybody can have.”
As of Dec. 11, State Fire Marshal Chief H. “Butch” Browning reported that 70 people statewide had died this year due to fires.
“While that is currently less than the fatality counts of the past few years, it’s too many, and we don’t want to see anymore,” Browning said in a recent news release.
For those unable to install a smoke detector due to disability, etc., the State Fire Marshal’s Office has the Operation Save-A-Life program, which works with local fire departments and district to install smoke alarms for free.
Cockerham said his department can install those locally if Morgan City residents need them.
To register online with the State Fire Marshal’s Office for the program, visit www.lasfm.org.
As for heating, Cockerham said a pre-winter checkup on heaters is a good idea.
“It’s always good to have your heater checked out before winter time gets here just as a safety precaution to see if it’s burning right, to see if it’s not full of dust,” he said.
Another crucial element for safety is a carbon monoxide detector, Cockerham said.
“We get several calls a year with carbon monoxide,” the chief said. “People having detectors and they work, and sometimes you don’t even realize that you’re breathing that stuff.”
Fire extinguishers also are good to have in a home, the chief said.
As for Christmas decorations, Cockerham says they should be checked to ensure wiring doesn’t have any frays. While he said power strips can be used, Cockerham recommended only using one that is both heavy duty and is approved by Underwriters Laboratories.
“Not one of these small ones that you buy, and they’re cheap,” he said.
However, Cockerham said do not “overload” the strip.
He also said that it’s never a good idea to leave Christmas decorations on overnight and to make sure you water your Christmas tree daily if it is live.
“If you keep water in it, keep constant moisture in it, it’s less likely to catch a fire if something does happen,” Cockerham said. “That don’t mean it won’t, but it’s just less likely.”
If residents do have smoke in their house, however, Cockerham urged them to evacuate everyone and call the fire department to handle the situation.
“It may be a light fixture. It may still be something minor, but if you don’t know where it’s at, then the best thing on the safety side is to get out of the house,” he said.