Tenth Red Bulb Placed on Fire Safety Wreath

Escambia County Fire Rescue placed an additional red bulb on the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety wreath, bringing the total to 10 residential structure fires so far during December. Last year's campaign concluded with 13 red bulbs.

The tenth fire occurred in the 1000 block of E. Madison Drive on Monday, Dec. 28. Escambia County Emergency Communications received a call at 10:48 p.m. regarding a kitchen fire. ECFR units E17, E11, E16, L12, Sq3, BC2 and BC3 attacked a working fire in the kitchen and brought the incident under control by 11:07 p.m. No injuries were reported. One resident was displaced due to damage. The resident reported that the oven was left on and a pan of grease on the oven vent caught fire. 

Smoke alarms were present, but did not work. If your home does not have a working smoke detector, please call Escambia County Fire Rescue at 850-595-HERO (4376) or 850-436-5200 for city of Pensacola residents.

The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with the city of Pensacola to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths are on display at 21 county fire stations and five city fire stations, as well as Escambia County's Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building downtown, the Escambia County Public Safety Building and Pensacola City Hall. Each time firefighters respond to a residential fire with damage, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by fires in residential home. For more tips on how to stay safe during the holiday season, visit myescambia.com/KeepTheWreathGreen.

Safety Tips: 

Escambia County Fire Rescue encourages everyone to practice fire safety especially during the holiday season. Residents are encouraged to follow these safety tips so everyone can have a safe and happy holiday:

• Make sure to have a working smoke alarm outside of every bedroom and on every level of your house. Make sure to test them monthly and change batteries every time you change your clocks.
• Communicate an escape plan to other members of the household in the event of a fire.
• Never leave cooking food unattended. If you must leave the room, turn the stove off first. View more home cooking safety tips here.
• Do not panic if a pan catches on fire. Place a lid over the pan, turn the heat source off and let the pan cool.
• If a fire occurs in your oven, leave the door closed and turn the oven off to prevent the fire from spreading.
• Keep children at least 3 feet away from the stove.
• Never wear loose clothing while cooking.
• Keep the area around the stove clear of anything that can burn, including packaging, paper towels and dish cloths.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so you don’t bump them.
• Have your chimney and fireplace inspected by a professional to make sure they are clean and free of obstructions. Never burn paper or trash in the fireplace.
• Make sure the oven and stovetop are clean, free of grease and are in good working order.

For fire safety tips and other updates from Escambia County Fire Rescue, like Escambia County Fire Rescue on Facebook.