TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Tallahassee Fire Department has placed its beautiful holiday wreath at Dorothy B. Oven Park once again this season.
The Keep the Wreath Green program is in its ninth year and serves as a visual reminder of the importance of home fire safety during the winter holiday season.
During the next six weeks, TFD will replace each of the 50 green bulbs with a red one every time a residential fire occurs in our area.
The wreath will be on display at the park, which is located at 3205 Thomasville Road, through January 7, 2019.
The Keep the Wreath Green program began in 2010. By the end of that year’s holiday season, 41 bulbs had been changed to red.
Last year, only 15 bulbs were changed to red, marking a 63 percent drop in home fires during the holiday season from 2010 to 2017.
Here are 10 fire safety tips to help residents keep the wreath green in 2018:
- Test all your smoke alarms and replace batteries, if needed.
- Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a "kid-free zone" of 3 feet around the stove.
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking. If you’re using a fryer or grill outside, make sure it is attended as well.
- Keep flammable objects away from heat sources. This includes keeping common kitchen items like oven mitts, food packaging, towels, etc. away from your stove top.
- Heat your home only with equipment designed and intended for heating.
- If using a real tree in your holiday decorations, water it daily.
- Discard light strings that are worn or broken.
- Always unplug holiday lights before leaving the house or going to sleep.
- Place candles/candle holders on a non-flammable surface to catch the melting candle wax. Never leave lit candles unattended.
- Use a fire screen to keep embers and logs from escaping when using a fireplace. Make sure all embers are fully extinguished before turning in for the night.
