With the holidays soon approaching, the City of Penticton has released some tips and tricks to help you stay focused on relaxing and spending time with family.
Firstly, how to stay safe - the Penticton Fire Department is reminding residents that the holidays season brings with it fire risks that can quickly turn a joyous time into tragedy.
According to the fire department, two of every five home Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems, and approximately one quarter are caused by the tree being too close to a heat source.
To avoid incidents and stay fire safe, the department gave out the following tips:
- Keep breakable tree ornaments and tinsel high on the tree out of reach of small children and pets.
- Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from any heat source, like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights. Make sure the tree is not blocking an exit.
- Use lights that have the label of a recognized testing laboratory. Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or before going to bed.
- Dried-out trees are a fire danger and should not be left in the home or garage, or placed outside against the home. Water fresh trees daily.
- Bring outdoor electrical lights inside after the holidays to prevent hazards and make them last longer.
- Stay in the kitchen while cooking on the stove top. Keep things that can catch fire like oven mitts, wooden utensils, food wrappers, and towels at least three feet away from the cooking area.
- Always cook with a lid beside your pan. If you have a fire, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Let the pan cool. For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
- Keep children at least three feet away from the stove.
- Test your smoke alarms and tell guests about your home fire escape plan.
- Keep children and pets away from lit candles, consider using battery operated candles.
To learn more about how to stay fire safe over the holidays, visit the City’s website here.
In other news, the City of Penticton released their schedule for both garbage and recycling pickups.
Starting December 16, recycling will be picked up for three consecutive weeks. According to a release, the City is marking the holiday season by offering an additional week of recycling collection.
They are reminding residents that only materials placed within a city-issued recycle cart will be collected. The City suggested that if you have extra garbage or recycling that will not fit in the designated cart, you can purchase tag-a-bag stickers from City Hall, City Yards or the Recreation Centre.
The City warned that products such as toys, electronics, Christmas lights, ribbons, bows and foil wrap are not accepted in the curbside recycling program. In addition, all recycling must be cleaned and rinsed.
If your garbage collection day is Wednesday, Christmas day, your pickup will occur on the following Saturday, Dec. 28.
Collection on Wednesday, Jan. 1, will instead occur on Saturday, Jan. 4.
To learn more, visit the City’s website here.
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