Fourth Red Bulb In Holiday Fire Safety Campaign

December 8, 2008

A fourth red bulb has been lit in Escambia County’s Keep the Wreath Green holiday safety campaign. A green bulb will be replaced with a red bulb in each wreath representing each time there is a residential fire in the county or in Pensacola.

Saturday night, a fire was reported at a triplex in the area of Highway 98 and Dogtrack Road. The caller advised that a person had been pulled out of the building. Upon arrival, firefighters provided basic medical care, extinguished the fire and searched for other occupants, finding none. Escambia County Emergency Medical Services took over care of the patient, who refused transport to the hospital. The fire was caused by unattended cooking that caught fire and spread in the kitchen. Firefighters from Myrtle Grove, Pleasant Grove, Innerarity Point, Warrington, and the Navy responded.

Escambia County Fire-Rescue and the City of Pensacola Fire Department will continue the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign throughout the holiday season. This year, the fifth year of the campaign, five-foot wreaths will be on display at 22 different locations throughout the holiday season. These sites are the Old Escambia County Courthouse on Palafox Place, the Public Safety Building on W Street, all 18 primary county fire stations, and two fire stations within the City of Pensacola. Every time firefighters respond to a residential fire a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by holiday decorations.

There have been no residential fires reported in North Escambia since the safety campaign began.

Some holiday lighting safety tips from Escambia Fire Rescue include:

  • When hanging holiday lights, either on your tree or outside, do not connect more than three strands of lights per single extension cord. Make sure you do not overload electrical outlets, extension cords or circuits. Only one extension cord should be used per outlet. Do not run power cords underneath rugs or carpets.
  • Use only lights tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL). All lights, new or old, should be inspected for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Lights should only be used for their intended purposes.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News