Time to start thinking about Fall fire safety

The seasons are changing, and many of us may plan to head outdoors for some fall yard work.

Fire officials say cooler temperatures don't necessarily mean a reduced threat for wildfires, and clearing out dead brush from around your home is the best way to protect it.

"Anything that's not green anymore, if they're up against your house or growing over the top of the roof, you want to cut those back," said Cpt. Brian Ellis, Deputy Fire Marshal with the Kennewick Fire Department. "A lot of different plants and trees will do that, so it's creating that space that is void of any of that vegetation is the true goal."

Wayward vegetation can also become a problem when smoking materials aren't properly extinguished.

If you step outside for a smoke break, make sure you have a glass or metal container filled with water or sand to put the cigarette butts in when you're done.

Putting out a cigarette in a flower pot, filled with dirt, moss, and tree bark, can allow it to smolder. A gust of wind can ignite a fire, damaging homes and other property.

"We had a recent fire that most likely was caused by improper disposal of smoking materials. Even though the family got out safely, the damage was in the thousands, and it displaced two families."

With the changing seasons, it's also time to start changing batteries in your smoke alarms.

However, you may need to swap out more than just the batteries.

"These devices have a life span, typically it's ten years," Ellis said. "After that period of time, the sensors inside degrade, so we want to make sure you're not only changing out the batteries in smoke detectors, but if they're more than ten years old, replace them with a new one."

Here is Captain Brian Ellis's complete conversation with Jenna and Glenn on the The Tri-Cities Morning News: