Five ways to keep your holiday celebrations lit, without the fire hazard

If there’s one person on campus who knows about fires and their causes, it’s Bob Maber, director of emergency management here at the University of Calgary. With a background in industrial firefighting in the province’s oil and gas industry, residential firefighting as well as fire safety training, Maber is an important fire prevention resource at UCalgary.

As the holidays inch closer, Maber says fire prevention at home and in the office is a critical topic — and the statistics back it up. According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), the top three days for house fires are Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year's Day.

While risks go up at home during the holidays, they also go up on campus the colder the weather gets. But, he says, there are plenty of ways to keep your holidays merry, bright and fire-free.

• Photo above: Bob Maber, the University of Calgary's emergency management director, says there are thousands of fire extinguishers on campus, but many people are not trained to use them when it counts. Photo by Riley Brandt, University of Calgary

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how brittle are thy branches?

Nothing rings in the holidays quite like the smell of a fresh conifer Christmas tree, but Maber says real Christmas trees present a preventable fire risk. The solution? Just add water.

“Make sure trees are well watered and away from baseboards, space heaters, fireplaces and candles,” he says, adding that decorating trees with candles instead of lights is an all-too-common practice with potentially devastating consequences.

According to the NPFA, 27 per cent of Christmas tree fires are caused by a too-close heat source, like a candle.

But the issue can also be with the tree itself. Maber says Christmas trees are often left up long after their life cycle has ended, which increases the chances it becoming a dry, brittle fire hazard. To reduce the risk of dry tree fire, Maber suggests using the City of Calgary’s Christmas Tree Composting Program soon after the holidays.

Chestnuts roasting on a desk heater

When you think of fires of campus, you might think of a chemistry experiment gone wrong, but Maber says the area where most fires occur is also the most innocuous — office areas.

“There are 800 labs across campus, and the materials and processes they use make those spaces a higher risk for fires than an office,” Maber says. “That being said, most fires happen in an office setting.”

For example, Maber says many UCalgary employees don’t know the university has a Code of Practice for personal and space heaters, which outlines that heaters must have timers, be located away from flammable materials and be plugged in safely where they cannot overload electrical outlets.

Even safe space heater practices should be a last resort. Anyone concerned about the temperature of their office can contact Facilities to address the source of the problem instead of masking it with a heater.

Do you see what I see? A fire, a fire, coming from your lunch

The most recent fire on campus was courtesy of a toaster brought from home for personal use. Unfortunately, Maber says, it’s a common and surprisingly dangerous practice to use small appliances in unsafe spaces where they can blow fuses, or be left on and unattended.

“Unattended cooking is the largest cause of fires in the home, in our residences and in work areas,” Maber says. “We do not allow people to leave experiments that use heat unattended, yet outside of the laboratory people regularly leave while they cook.”

He adds it’s best to use only office-sanctioned appliances in authorized areas, like office kitchens, and to avoid all personal appliance at your desk without approval.

Hark, the CO detector rings

Though smoke detectors are required by law in homes and workplaces, Maber says it’s important to remember another kind of detector that can save your life — especially as we move deeper into the coldest part of the year.

“The risk of carbon monoxide exposure is a huge and a higher risk through winter due to increased burning for warmth and decoration,” Maber says, adding that everyone should have a carbon monoxide detector near every bedroom and throughout the house in strategic locations near:

• furnaces
• hot water heaters
• fireplaces and wood stoves
• anywhere fuel is burned

“Combination carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are available and should be in good working order at all times,” he says.

Walkin’ in a training wonderland

Emergency Management offers a variety of Emergency Preparedness Training for faculty and staff throughout the year, including fire safety training and fire extinguisher training.

Fire extinguisher training teaches the right way to use a fire extinguisher, with a state-of-the-art training tool equipped with sensors and a digital flame that goes out when you properly use the laser-driven infrared extinguisher. In this class, learners will master the basic skills required to use a fire extinguisher to extinguish small fires. The first scheduled course for 2019 is on Jan. 8, so register today for fire extinguisher training and the online prerequisite, fire safety training.