Temple Fire and Rescue is participating wants the community to help "Keep the Wreath Red" this holiday season. It's a program encouraging fire safety awareness.
Santos Soto, a spokesperson for Temple Fire and Rescue, said they will display a large holiday wreath decorated in red lights outside of Central Fire Station. If a holiday related fire occurs in Temple, a red light will be taken out and it will be replaced with a white light.
"This is the first year that we've participated in this campaign and the wreath just gives citizens a visual to see exactly what's happening in our community," Soto said.
One of the causes for holiday fires are live Christmas trees, which more people are opting for. Across the country, Christmas tree farms are noticing an increase in sales this holiday season and many have already sold out, like the Robinson Family Farm in Temple.
Here are some tips from Temple Fire and Rescue for a fire-safe holiday season:
• If you have a fresh Christmas tree, keep it well watered.
• Keep live trees away from heat sources.
• Inspect holiday lights for damaged cords or plugs.
• Do not overload lighting circuits.
• Extinguish candles when you leave home or go to sleep at night.
• Keep candles in containers that prevent them from falling.
• Make sure your smoke detectors are functioning properly.
"We're going to be celebrating right there along with them, but above all we want them to remember just to be safe with those tips we've given them," Soto said.
The campaign will run through January 1, and Soto encourages everyone to play a part and help "Keep the Wreath Red" this holiday season.