SAVANNAH, GA. – As the New Year celebrations fade into memory, the Savannah Fire Department (SFD) is taking the opportunity to emphasize the ongoing importance of fire safety within the community. Responding to several incidents on New Year’s Eve, the department is keen to ensure that residents remain vigilant, particularly during the chilly winter months.

According to Cheryl Mason, the Public Information Officer for the SFD, the department dealt with four separate fires on New Year’s Eve. “Throughout the holiday period, we responded to around eight or nine incidents,” she noted, highlighting the variety of causes behind these fires.

Mason explained that the colder season typically sees a spike in home fires as people find ways to heat their homes. “Many individuals turn to space heaters,” she said. “While these devices are effective for warmth, improper use can lead to dangerous situations if manufacturer’s instructions are not followed.”

The SFD advises against placing space heaters on carpets or near any fabric and stresses that these appliances should never be connected through an extension cord. By following these guidelines, the community can better protect themselves and their homes from the threat of fire during the winter months.

SFD said you should never leave a space heater on the carpet or near any fabric. They also should never be plugged into an extension cord.

“You don’t want them running in areas that you are not in, and you want to keep them three feet away from any fabrics such as curtains, your bedding, even your own clothing,” Mason said. “You want to keep them on a stable surface so they can’t be knocked over by pets or children.  If you buy current ones, they do have the automatic shut off when they’re tilted over.”

Mason said a common error she noticed is people overloading their circuits.

Home and brush fires are not the only thing to be aware of but vehicle fires as well, Mason said.

“Maintaining your vehicle is very important, you know, letting it run low on oil and things like that, try to stretch a paycheck or whatever,” Mason said. “You know, you’re going to put groceries on the table or you’re going to get your oil change. But if you keep not maintaining your vehicle, then it’s subject to fires.”

SFD said if you have pets in your home at the time of the house fire you need to let the firefighters responding know.

“You can let us know that you know when we arrive that there’s a dog somewhere in the house,” Mason said “If you can pinpoint that, then we’ll definitely go in search for them.  And we have like pet oxygen mask on all of our apparatus. So, we can help them if they do have some smoke inhalation.”

Mason also suggested that you keep important documents and items in a fire safe box but to never risk your own life grabbing them.