Ocean City Fire Dept. reminding folks to be aware of, prepare for holiday fire hazards
OCEAN CITY, Md. – This holiday season the Ocean City Fire Department is reminding folks to be aware of fire hazards. That’s because it only takes a matter of seconds for flames to get out of control. “Fire is not anything to play with. To think that it’s not going to happen to you is not a way to live. You need to realize you need your home, your children, your entire family to be fire safety conscious,” said OCFD firefighter Ryan Whittington.
The fire department says once a blaze gets going, it can double in size every 60 seconds. Whittington says people often forget that every day household items, like space heaters and candles, can spark serious fires. He says that’s especially true if they come in contact with flammable decorations. “As it gets colder outside folks tend to use space heaters to take the chill off the house. We want to remind folks to keep their space heater at least three feet away from anything that could burn. If you can go four feet away from everything, that’s even better,” said Whittington.
When it comes to candles, Whittington says making sure animals and children can’t knock them over is equally as important. “The holidays can be a great challenge for folk to maintain safety. But the thing to remember is that if the candle is on the table an you have a cats or animals or children, they can burn them,” said Whittington.
If a fire does start in your home this holiday season, it can involve large flames, heavy smoke, and little to no visibility as you’re trying to get out. That’s why Whittington says people need to take the chance of flames sparking up seriously. “Folks sometimes think that it can’t happen to them. Unfortunately, that’s a lot of the calls that we respond to. ‘I thought it was okay’ or ‘I’ve done this a hundred times,” said Whittington.
Whittington says that people should have at least two ways out of their home if it goes up in flames. He also says folks should designated a meeting place a safe distance away from the home if a fire breaks out. If you have any questions about fire safety going into this holiday season, Whittington says you should contact your local fire department.
