As the holiday season draws nearer, Centre Wellington Fire and Rescue say the time of year often creates unique fire hazards.

Fire Prevention Officer Christopher Paluch says there is no increase in service calls during the holiday months to note so far. But he said that there has been an increase in calls for 2023 to date versus 2024. Paluch did not provide exact figures, but said there is a definite jump.

He added as residents decorate their homes, it's important to be mindful of the fire risks that LED Christmas lights can present.

"We ask people when they're putting those lights up to take a good look at them and make sure as they get older the chords haven't started to fray. Certainly, now we see an increase in LED lights," Paluch detailed.

"That's fantastic because they draw an awful lot less energy overall, but even as people are replacing older lights, they need to take a really good look at those cables," he concluded.

Paluch also urges residents to be cautious with both their lights, and their live Christmas trees. As lovely as they are, he says, risk exists if the trees are not taken care of.

"If you're going to have a live Christmas tree, and we all love having a live tree in our house, it smells fantastic and it does - it looks nicer- you've got to water that tree," Paluch cautioned.

"You're taking something that used to be alive. Someone cut it down probably close to a month ago by the time you put it in your house, and it needs water. If that tree dries out, the amount of fire risk that can present is absolutely startling," he maintained.

He also noted it's crucial to keep an eye on young children when doing holiday food preparation.

"Cooking safety is a big one in the holiday season. We have a lot of parties, people are having gatherings. Folks over to the house. Watching what we cook keeps things a lot safer and certainly if we have little ones in the kitchen, always make sure you keep a close eye on them," Paluch said.

"Always keep a good one metre or three-foot zone around the cooktop element. Keep the little ones away," he added.

Winter as a season brings challenges, Paluch says, like gas fireplace risks, carbon monoxide problems having a higher likelihood of occurring, and other potential hazards. Paluch took the opportunity to urge residents to check their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. He says the average window to get out of your house in the case of a fire is a mere two minutes.

Young children can be a part of the act of testing smoke alarms and changing batteries, he says, as Centre Wellington Fire braces for the cold, hoping to keep residents safe from fire this holiday season.

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