Tulsa Fire Chief On Holiday Decoration And Battery Safety

The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, but we've got to pay attention when it comes to decorations and trees.

Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker joined us at 9 in the morning with some reminders for us this holiday season.

What are some issues the fire department usually sees during the holidays?

"Folks like to have candles in their home, you know, table settings and things like that have candles and they're very decorative, but don't get them too close to live trees especially. Even some of our artificial trees are combustible. If you haven't put your tree up yet, always inspect the cabling and the cords on your lights. If you don't have a pre-lit tree, if they get frayed, they can create an arc or heat up and cause a combustion of your tree, which is not good. And then obviously, when you are decorating, it's always a good time to remember about ladders. So I use a stool to get up and put the star on the top or maybe hang some garland or something like that. As I get older, I'm even more unstable. And I use ladders for a profession. So it is a good time to have ladder safety and make sure you have someone holding it, steadying you and don't do it alone. Make sure if you do have an accident, you want somebody at home to help you," Baker said.

Are lithium ion batteries dangerous?

"A lot of folks will be buying electronic devices, toys, and most all of them are powered by lithium ion batteries. It's a large amount of energy and a very small battery. And so when they're over overcharged or when they're not disposed of properly or used properly, they are a high risk for fire. So one of the most important things is, if you give a toy as a gift, make sure that you're using the cord that comes with the device. And then if you have to later on buy a cord that just says charger, you know, sometimes those are not the best for that device. We don't want the electronics inside overcharging. Overcharging causes heat, which causes battery failure. And then we have a fire. If you get a scooter or in an E-bike, make sure that they're being charged outside if you can. They can off gas as they get hot, and then they can erupt in flame rather quickly. So make sure you charge properly, do not overcharge, and then if you do have batteries that are old or you removed from a product, dispose of them properly. Don't throw them in the trash or the regular waste. Use a disposal bin like at your Home Depot or Lowe's store, or a place that you frequent that is recycling," Baker explained.