Festive holiday comes with hidden dangers FES warns

By Titus Ledbetter III, Belvoir EagleNovember 21, 2013

Fort Belvoir Fire and Emergency Services officials urge community members to be cautious about fire safety while enjoying the festive Thanksgiving holiday.

Fire prevention guidelines are often overlooked on Thanksgiving, according to John Weaver, FES fire protection specialist.

"Everyone needs to keep safety first and by doing so everyone can avoid tragedy and disruption of their holiday festivities," Weaver said.

Three times more home fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year, according to Weaver. In general, home fires peak on holidays that involve cooking.

Unattended cooking is the top cause of home fires and fire-related injuries, Weaver said. Cooking food should never be left unattended. People who must leave the kitchen while cooking should turn off the stove or have someone else watch the food.

In addition, FES urges community members to use battery-powered candles instead of open-flame candles for holiday decorations. If open-flame candles are used, they should not be placed where children can access them or where guests can accidentally brush up against them. The candleholder should not be flammable or easy to knock over. It is also important to keep flammable decorations away from the candles.

A working smoke alarm should be placed on every level of a house, he said. They should also be in every bedroom and in the adjacent hallways. Smoke alarms should be tested on a monthly basis and the batteries need to be replaced once a year.

All residents of Fort Belvoir are required to have working smoke alarms. Residents can contact their housing management office or the installation Fire Marshall's Office at (703) 805-2091 if they are having problems with their smoke alarms.

Fire extinguishers should not be more than 10 feet from the stove, according to Weaver. They should be on the same side of the room as the exit and a standard class ABC multi-purpose dry chemical extinguisher is recommended. Everyone should know how to use their fire extinguishers.

Many residents do not have fire escape plans for their private homes, Weaver said. He suggested that community members make a map of their homes and mark a door and window that can be used to get out of each room. They should choose a meeting place in front of the home and draw a picture of the meeting place on their escape plan. Overnight guests should also be made aware of the fire escape plan for the home and the designated meeting area.