Every season has its own customs and holiday traditions that are unique to a certain time of year. In summer, students vacate their classrooms to enjoy two months of leisurely days with friends and family members, and July brings barbecues and fireworks to nearly every neighborhood in America. Fall arrives with the promise of trick-or-treaters knocking at the door and Thanksgiving delights like stuffing and cranberry sauce. For many people, the winter season is the most anticipated time of year, and its cold months are full of festivities as revelers celebrate Christmas and greet the new year. Just as every season is accompanied by different holidays and traditions, different fire hazards and safety risks are more likely to occur depending on the current page of the calendar.

Christmas celebrations might have wrapped up until next year, but the holiday poses a variety of fire hazards that are most dangerous in the upcoming weeks. Some of the most common wintertime safety threats are stockings that hang above a fireplace and Christmas lights wrapped around flammable objects such as dry foliage in a front yard. Although this year's presents have all been unwrapped, many families keep their decorations and Christmas trees up until mid- to late January. To help their local firefighters sleep easier in the new year, homeowners should ensure nothing flammable is near their fireplaces before lighting them. Additionally, Christmas trees must be watered regularly to prevent dryness and flammability until they are removed from the home.

A little bit of mindfulness can greatly lower the risk of accidentally starting a house fire with Christmas decorations, but tokens of holiday cheer are among the many things that can prove to be deadly when near one notorious appliance: a space heater. According to the American Red Cross' website, http://www.redcross.org, the greatest number of heating-related fires occur in December, January and February, and space heaters account for one-third of those fires. Within the first two weeks of January 2024, the American Red Cross responded to 1,797 house fires, assisting 6,799 people.

One could regard the common space heater as the archnemesis of fire departments during wintertime, but a few simple guidelines can render this little device less likely to commit arson in your home. The safest model of space heater is one that automatically shuts off if it falls over; any model should be placed far away from flammable items such as Christmas trees, curtains, paper and bedding. Although space heaters are a popular and effective way to keep a home cozy and warm in winter, using them without caution can be a recipe for disaster.

After the holidays are over, festivities wind down until the next season of merrymaking. But a few months of cold weather remain well after stockings are removed from fireplaces, meaning wintertime road conditions can still pose a threat to drivers. Central Pennsylvania's typical winter weather includes temperatures that hang just above freezing; combined with any amount of precipitation, these conditions often make roads more slippery than they look. Icy rain and sleet are one of the main causes of car accidents in winter, particularly in the Southern End and other rural areas that contain twisting roads and narrow passages. Additionally, fluctuating temperatures often result in melted snow and freezing rain that becomes slippery ice on sidewalks and roads after the sun sets.

Although residents of the local area may encounter a variety of safety hazards in wintertime, it only takes a little bit of mindfulness to make it through the season without a trip to the hospital or a call to the local fire department. No matter which part of the county you reside in or how long you leave your Christmas decorations up, a few simple practices are the difference between a winter wonderland and a hotbed of dangerous conditions.