Holiday wreaths are helping the Roswell Fire Department raise awareness of the risk of home fires.
For its second annual “Keep the Wreath Green” campaign, Christmas wreaths displayed outside Roswell Fire Department and other locations around town are decorated with green bulbs. In the event of a structural fire in Roswell this month, a green bulb will be replaced with a red bulb.
Last year, the fire department wreath had five red bulbs by the end of December, a statement said, to symbolize the number of home fires and the families affected.
“Fire safety is a year-round commitment, and the holiday season requires extra precautions,” Roswell Fire Chief Joe Pennino said. “By being mindful and proactive, we can significantly reduce the risk of fires and keep our wreaths green.”
According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments responded to nearly 351,000 home fires between 2016 and 2020. The fires resulted in more than 11,000 injuries and 2,700 deaths.
“Thanksgiving and Christmas, they are some of the biggest occasions across the nation as far a cooking fires,” said Chad Miller, public information officer for the Roswell Fire Department. “We do see an increase with heating equipment that’s too close to combustible materials like curtains or bed sheets.”
People sometimes tend to run extension cords for heating items or holiday decorations under rugs or soft furniture, he added.
“The cords start to heat up and can cause fires,” Miller said.
But people can use flame resistant and non-combustible decorations.
Roswell fire department advises that holiday lights and electrical decorations be regularly inspected for damage and that you follow manufacturers’ guidelines for usage.
In addition, the National Fire Protection Association states that candles are the cause of one-third of home fires caused by decorations catching fire. And often fires happen because decorations are placed too close to a heat source, according the organization.
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