Crime & Safety

FCFRD News Blog : Get In S.T.E.P. This Holiday Season! Got To Smoke It? Sink It Or Soak It!

The holidays are a time family and friends get together. It is also a time when one of the leading causes of fire in Fairfax County can ...

Press Release Desk, News Partner

Press release from the FCFRD News Blog:

December 15, 2021

The holidays are a time family and friends get together. It is also a time when one of the leading causes of fire in Fairfax County can ruin the holiday season: improperly discarded smoking materials! Got to smoke it? Get in S.T.E.P. (Safety Takes Every Person) With FCFRD This Holiday Season and “Sink It or Soak It!

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As recently as Sunday, December 12, improperly discarded smoking materials caused an apartment fire in the Hybla Valley area.

The members of your Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department want to help eliminate this totally preventable cause of fire and keep Fairfax County safe this holiday season! If you smoke, or know someone who does, please take a moment to learn how to prevent starting a fire. Got To Smoke It? Sink It Or Soak It!

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  • Never dispose of cigarette butts in potted planting soil. The soil, when it gets too dry, can become highly flammable.
  • Never flick cigarettes into mulch or shrubbery. Dispose of them in a suitable ashtray or bucket with sand. Ensure designated outside smoking areas have an appropriate fireproof container, ashtray or bucket.
  • Completely douse butts and ashes with water before throwing them away, as they can smolder and cause a fire.
  • Never smoke in bed.
  • Provide large, deep ashtrays with a center support for smokers. Check furniture for any dropped ashes before going to bed. Empty ashes into a fireproof container with water and sand.
  • Keep smoking materials away from anything that can burn (i.e., mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture, draperies, etc.).
  • Never smoke in a home where oxygen is being used.
  • If you smoke, choose fire-safe cigarettes. They are less likely to cause fires.
  • To prevent a deadly cigarette fire, you must be alert. You won’t be if you are sleepy, have been drinking, or have taken medicine or other drugs.
  • Keep matches and lighters up high, out of children’s sight and reach.

    • You can follow the Get in S.T.E.P. (Safety Takes Every Person) With FCFRD This Holiday Season campaign on our social media channels. The hashtag for the campaign is #SafeFairfax

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/ffxfirerescue

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ffxfirerescue/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fairfaxcountyfirerescue/

    This press release was produced by the FCFRD News Blog. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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