Tis the season and the Saskatoon Fire Department has some tips on holiday fire safety.

Fire Marshal Ryan Bradley with the Saskatoon Fire department says there are a couple of key areas of concern when it comes to holiday fire safety.

He notes in the holiday season there is lots of cooking going on and the fire department says keep flammable objects away from the stove, objects too close to the burner can catch fire. And don’t leave your cooking unattended.

Bradley points out something as simple as a candle can having devastating effects

“It’s just a candle. They smell pretty, they look great, they give great ambience. Its all too easy we forget them once in a while or we’re not paying attention to them and something either falls on them or they get tipped over and that could be something as easy as a pet knocking them over.”

He adds that you should blow out burning candles before you leave a room or go to bed and never leave them unattended. Bradley suggests using a flameless candle to decorate.
It is also recommended that you turn off all holiday lights before going to bed or leaving your home because many electrical fires are started when outlets or wires overheat.

And while Bradley recognizes live Christmas trees during the holiday season are a great tradition including the fresh pine scent they provide, if they dry out, they become very flammable.

“We can relate to that with some of the forest fires that we’ve had during the dry conditions we’ve had here in Saskatchewan. So that would bring those conditions on a much smaller scale inside your home.
The best way to battle that dry tree is to make sure that we are watering it daily because after all that little tree stand dish doesn’t hold a lot of water so just make sure that it always does have water in it.”

The Saskatoon Fire Department also suggests that this is a good time of year to test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms noting that batteries should be replaced every year and the alarm should be replaced every 10 years.