Santa Claus is Coming To Town! That's right Santa will be taking his annual ride around the East Dover area tomorrow Sunday Dec. 18th. Starting around 9am. Merry Christmas from all of us at the East Dover Fire Company!

A reminder from the Toms River Fire Prevention Bureau.

Prevent Christmas Tree fires.
-Select a fresh green tree with branches that bend but do not break.
- Water! Keep the tree in water always.
- Keep the tree away from heat sources.
- Only keep the trees inside for 2 weeks.
- Recycle the trees at the curb, not in your fireplace.

Maintain your holiday lighting
- Inspect all strands and plugs prior to installation. Replace any damaged strands.
- Use UL or CPSC approved lighting
- Join no more than 3 strands of lights together
- Check the condition of the lights periodically.
- Do not leave them unattended.

Holiday Decorations & Candles
- Use products labeled as flame retardant or non flammable.
- Keep decorations away from heat sources.
- Use candles only as decor, do not light them.
- Keep candles on stable surfaces and away from flammables if you do light them.
- Never leave a candle lit while not around

A reminder from the Toms River Fire Prevention Bureau.

More cooking fires are reported on Thanksgiving Day than any other day during the year. Firefighters across the nation responded to more than 1300 home fires involving cooking equipment on Thanksgiving Day, Roughly 3 times the daily average of cooking fires. In a three year period cooking fires in general were responsible for over 150,000 structural fires, causing 500 fatalities, 4700 injuries, and over 750 million dollars in property damage.

Unattended cooking is by far the leading factor in these fires according to a news release from the NFPA.

The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention offers the residents of Toms River the following safety tips to ensure our community enjoys a safe and festive holiday with family and friends.
- Be alert don't consume alcohol while cooking
- Stay in the kitchen while cooking, frying, or grilling, if you have to leave, turn off the burners.
- Keep all combustibles away from the stove top, such as paper towels, oven mits, and wooden utensils.

Should a fire occur:
- Keep a lid nearby when cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and shutting off the stove top. Leave the pan covered until completely cooled.
- For an oven fire, turn off the heat and leave the oven door closed.
- Should you decide to extinguish a small contained fire, make sure all occupants are evacuating and you have a clear path out. Ensure someone is calling 911.

On behalf of the Fire Prevention Bureau, we wish all a safe and joyous holiday season.

Change your clock, change your batteries

The East Dover Fire Company reminds residents of the importance of changing their smoke and carbon monoxide alarm batteries when changing their clocks back on November 6th, 2011 This precaution along with monthly testing of these life saving devices cuts the risk of perishing in a fire.