An illuminated wreath at Chapel Hill fire station on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard is keeping score on residential fire safety this holiday season.

“What we do is, we hang a wreath on Fire Station 1 on MLK Boulevard,” said Chapel Hill Fire Marshal Todd Iager. “And we start the season off Dec. 1. It runs through New Year’s Day. We keep green lights in that wreath. And the goal is to keep it green.”

Iager further explained that for every residential fire in Chapel Hill during the holiday season, a green bulb is replaced with a red one.

“Keep the Wreath Green,” as it’s called, is an annual initiative of the Chapel Hill Fire Department.

And it seems to be working. The program had existed for a decade. During a few of those holiday seasons, Chapel Hill, did, indeed, “Keep the Wreath Green.”

“It is a fantastic public service announcement program,” said Iager, “and they followed that up with all the tree farms getting a tag for each tree.”

Iager was referring to locally farmed Christmas trees being tagged with safety tips for consumers.

The reasons for increased fire hazards during the holidays are obvious. Houses are full of decorations, candles, lights, trees, and there’s paper and plastic everywhere.

“Candles are a big ignition source for fires in the home around the holidays,” said Iager. “So we have to be really, really careful with candles. So when you leave the room, when you leave the house, blow the candles out.”

First and foremost, said Iager, people should make sure they have proper smoke detectors in every level of their home, inside and outside of bedrooms.

Residents need to work out a fire escape plan for themselves, Iager added.

“Most importantly, like game day in football or basketball, you play like you practice,” he said. “So make sure you’re practicing these plans, OK?”

Iager urged adults to keep kids at least three feet away from the stove while the holiday dinner is being cooked; and to never leave a hot stove unattended.

Here is a complete list of holiday fire safety tips from the Chapel Hill Fire Department.

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