Be Safe This Holiday Season—Keep The Wreath Red

LOMBARD, Illinois—The Lombard Fire Department embarks each holiday season on its annual campaign to “Keep the Wreath Red.” The “Keep the Wreath Red” program is designed to emphasize fire safety during the holiday season.

From the day after Thanksgiving until New Year's Day, a wreath will be placed on each of Lombard's two fire stations. The wreaths will be lit with all red bulbs. Each time there is a fire related to the holidays, a red bulb will be replaced with a white bulb. A wreath that contains all red bulbs indicates our goal, a safe holiday season. Last year in Lombard there were no holiday-related fires and all of the bulbs remained red.

There are many things you can do to make the season safe this year, including:

• Keep the tree stand filled with water.

• Keep the tree, wreaths and all holiday decorations away from any heat source, such as fireplaces, space heaters, candles or heating ducts.

• Keep candles out of the reach of children.

• Check electrical cords for any cracks before using them.

• Turn off all holiday lights when going to bed or when leaving the house.

• When using a fireplace, make sure there is a fire screen in place, don't close the damper until the fire is completely out, and burn only seasoned firewood.

• After any entertaining, check waste baskets and furniture for smoldering cigarettes.

• Make sure your home has at least one working smoke detector per floor and that everyone knows how to exit in case of an emergency.

• Make sure that all exits are kept unobstructed.

For assistance with fire safety information, call (630) 620-5750.