On Thursday, Assistant Chief Bill Niccum and Firefighters from Fire Station 124 will be meeting with residents of the Mulberry Mobile Home community to discuss fire safety in the home, and throughout the month of December, local fire stations will be holding similar home fire safety meetings in mobile home parks throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.

Each year, 3,000 people lose their lives in residential fires, and in most of those homes there were no working smoke detectors.  During the holiday season, the risk is greater due to fireplace use, burning candles and dry Christmas trees.

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“We are reaching out to our mobile home communities because we have seen several fires this year. These homes are made of lighter-weight construction and burn quickly. Sadly, in one instance, a man lost his life, and we are calling on all homeowners to make sure they have working smoke detectors,” said Niccum.

For more information, contact LACoFD Community Services Liaison Stephanie English at (661) 254-9668, or the Public Information Team at (323) 881-2411.

A special thanks go out to First Alert Smoke Alarms and  Interstate All Battery Centesr of Valencia.

Some quick facts that are good to know about fires –

• Roughly two thirds of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
• Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a reported home fire in half.
• All smoke alarms should be tested at least once a month and batteries should be changed twice a year (change your clock; change your batteries).
• The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• If you use portable heaters, make sure they have automatic shut off features and they are at least 3-feet away from objects that can burn.

For more information on what you can do to protect you, your family and your pets, please visit your local fire station.