Firefighters Urge Fire Safety As OK Temperatures Turn Cold

Winter weather can make it difficult for our firefighters.

The bitterly cold temperatures make it challenging for them to fight fires, which tend to spike when temperatures plunge.

The below-freezing temperatures we have right now mean everyone is using their heaters to stay warm. Firefighters say they've already fought three fires caused by space heaters in the last two weeks and encourage people to be careful with those.

They also say this is a good time to make sure your smoke detector is working because they can save lives.

All these things can prevent fires, but once firefighters are working to put out a fire, they face challenges in the frigid cold.

Stan May with the Tulsa Fire Department said, "It's like everybody else - we're cold and everything we have on the truck is cold, and we spray water all over the place so everything is - there's ice everywhere. So we have to be very careful no matter what we're doing. Whether we're using a chainsaw or climbing up a ladder or dragging hose - everything's got ice on it."

Firefighters said they've already had a few chimney fires this winter and encourage homeowners with chimneys to make sure they're safe before starting a fire.