Although Christmas tree fires are not common, when they do occur, they are more likely to be serious. Carefully decorating your home can help make your holidays safer.
Selecting Your Tree
Choose a tree with fresh, green needles that do not fall off when touched.
Preparation & Placement of the Tree
Before placing the tree in the stand, cut 2” from the base of the trunk. 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. Add water to the tree stand and be sure to add water daily.
Lighting Your Tree
Use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory. Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use. Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Read manufacturer’s instructions for number of light strands to connect. Never use lit candles to decorate the tree. Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed.
After Christmas
Get rid of the tree after Christmas. Dried-out trees are a fire danger and should not be left in the home, garage, or placed outside against the home. Bring outdoor electrical lights inside after the holidays to prevent hazards & make them last longer.
We produced the short video below to demonstrate the rapid pace at which a dried out Christmas tree can go up in flames.
ENGINE E473, placed in to service in November, 2018, is housed at Fire Station #3. The engine will be staffed 24/7 with 3-4 firefighters.
Engine E473 is equipped with a 750 gallon water tank, capable of pumping 1,500 gallons of water per minute. It is equipped to handle a multitude of hazards, including, but not limited to: all types of fires, vehicle accidents, emergency medical calls & rescues.
The "wet-down" and "push-in" ceremony, a firefighting tradition when housing a new fire apparatus, was held on November 26, 2018.
The Haltom City Fire Safety Squad is an educational characterization group put together by your Haltom City Firefighters. The squad is a part of the Texas LAFS (Life and Fire Safety) Association. The Safety Squad’s goal is to reduce injuries caused by fire, or other emergency situations, by educating through puppetry, characterization and clowning.
Fire safety week takes place annually in October. During this time the Safety Squad clowns will be out visiting schools in the Birdville Independent School District. The Safety Squad focuses on a variety of topics, including when and why to call 911, EDITH (Exit Drills In The Home), tools vs. toys, bicycle safety, gun safety, pool safety and much, much more!
Although the clowns focus primarily on fire safety week, you can see them throughout the year at various city functions.
HCFD Safety Squad - BOGO & Tiller out there TCOB
The Safety Squad consists of:
Derek Paradise as BOGO, Nick Diemicke as Tiller, Tim Killian as Capt. Vinny, Jayson Steele as Spanner and Carlos Vaquera.
HCFD recognizes North Oaks Middle School for their life-saving response
Haltom City Fire/Rescue issued a proclamation recognizing the responsive actions taken by staff after a teacher collapsed during the school day. The proclamation was presented at the July 23rd, 2018 City Council meeting.
On Thursday, May 24, 2018, Haltom City Fire Department responded to a call regarding an “unconscious person” at North Oak Middle School, located at 4800 Jordon Park. The response to this type of call is one that the fire department makes too often, with an outcome that is rarely a positive one. This call, however, would prove to be something special, one of those calls that even in the fire service you might only see once in a career. Due to the efforts and training of some wonderful people who worked together, a man’s life was saved.
pictured L to R:Firefighter Doreteo Reyes, Jr., Firefighter Daniel McCurdy, Lt. Greg Wagner, Firefighter Chad Hopkins, Lt. Benjamin Sayen, Lt. Christopher Tyrone, Nurse Lily Kingsbury, Firefighter Jacob Day, Alex Snider, James Linwood, Andy Ramirez, Andrew Lawver, Susan Dean, Jennifer Klaerner, School Resource Officer Carl Cage & Fire Chief Perry Bynum.
Mr. Allen Hopkins was filling the role as substitute teacher at North Oak Middle School on that Thursday morning. He had a break between classes and had just entered the teacher’s lounge. Alex Snider and Patrick Linwood were also in the teacher’s lounge. Alex stated that he saw Mr. Hopkins walk in and collapsed, falling face first on to the floor. Alex immediately responded and rolled Mr. Hopkins over onto his back and began assessing the situation. Mr. Snider realized that he was going to need help and asked Patrick Linwood to call for help. Mr. Linwood was able to locate Principal Jennifer Klaerner and Assistant Principles Susan Dean and Andrew Lawver. Andrew immediately called for the nurse, Lily Kingsbury.
Upon her arrival, Nurse Lily Kingsbury quickly assessed Mr. Hopkins and asked Andrew Lawver to activate the AED team. The AED team consist of Assistant Principle Andrew Lawver, RN Nurse Lily Kingsbury, Educational Assistant Andy Ramirez, Educational Assistant Luis Ramos and Teacher/Coach Johnny Evans. Nurse Kingsbury instructed Alex Snider to retrieve the AED, which was approximately 50 feet from their location. The AED team members quickly arrived at the scene, where Andy Ramirez assumed chest compression duty from Lily Kingsbury, who had already checked for a pulse and had begun the initial chest compressions. Nurse Kingsbury began to give the patient mouth-to mouth ventilation as Andy Ramirez continued with chest compressions. Alex Snider returned with the AED and defibrillation pads were placed on the patient’s chest. The analyze button was pressed and a shock was advised. Everyone removed themselves from physical contact with Mr. Hopkins and the shock was delivered. The patient’s carotid pulse was checked and detected by the nurse. The patient began to have spontaneous movements. Chest compression were halted due to the patient’s response.
The time between Mr. Hopkins falling to the floor until the AED shocks were administered was less than two minutes. The timing that transpired in this scenario is nothing short of amazing. This was the best example of a team of individuals who responded and reacted to save a life.
School Resource Officer Carl Cage recognized the severity of the incident and contacted dispatch to tone out the Haltom City Fire/Rescue Department and Medstar. AED team member Luis Ramirez helped keep the scene safe by controlling the crowd and Johnny Evans assisted in going through the check list to assure everything had been covered during the stressful incident. The events of Thursday, May 24th, are proof that training and preparation, quick action combined with systematic thinking can save lives. On behalf of Mr. Hopkins and the Haltom City Fire/Rescue Department, I would like to acknowledge everyone involved and thank you for your actions. Your willingness to train and compassion to help someone in need saved a life that day.
Battalion Chief James “Hoss” White - Haltom City Fire/Rescue Department
Haltom City CERT is Offering Assistance with Address Visibility
Code Enforcement, along with the Haltom City Police & Fire Departments, wish to remind citizens to properly display the address of residential and commercial properties. This aids any first responder’s ability to properly identify your home or business in case of an emergency. In addition, R319.1 of the 2012 International Residential Code and 2012 International Fire Code 505.1, state Single family dwellings shall have approved numbers of a minimum 3 1/2" in height, minimum spacing width of 1/2" and a color contrasting with the background (structure, mailbox or curb) clearly visible and legible from the street fronting the property and rear alleyway where such alleyway exists.
Where access is by means of private road and the building address cannot be viewed from the public right-of-way, a monument, pole or other sign or means shall be used to identify the structure.
If you would like assistance displaying your Haltom City property address, please complete this online form (embedded below). Haltom City CERT is assisting residents with the display of their street address. If you have any questions about this service please contact Assistant Fire Marshal Derek Wood at 817-759-8668.
