Columbia Fire Department launches new tool ahead of busy holiday season

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — While the holidays are a great time of year, they are also the time when firefighters see the most residential fires.

Now, you can stay prepared in the event of a fire thanks to a new tool from the Columbia Richland Fire Department.

Columbia Richland Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins says a smoke alarm is the most effective tool for saving lives from fires. 

“If you have a fire in your home and you’re asleep, that’s the first thing that’s going to alert you to the fire,” Chief Jenkins said. “Some people think they will smell the smoke and wake up. Don’t count on that.”

If you do not have a smoke alarm, the fire department will install one for you. 

“Here at Columbia Fire, our goal is to install as many smoke alarms as possible. One way is the old fashioned way of calling. Through this system, you will be able to request a smoke alarm through community connect,” said fire chief William Broscious. 

A new online portal known as ‘Community Connect’ allows residents to share important information with the fire department in the event of an emergency. This can be information about pets, elderly relatives or others in your home who have specific needs. 

“What we want people to do is put whatever you feel comfortable so we have that information as we respond to your home. When we get there, we want to make every effort to help you,” Jenkins said.

The service is available to everyone in Richland County and allows firefighters to better respond to a call. 

“Again, it’s very valuable information for responders to know before they arrive,” Broscious said. “That lets us know if we need additional units or take additional precautions as we pull up to this house.”

This time of year, the Columbia Fire Department says it stays much busier than usual. 

“A lot of fires are caused in the winter months by people’s habits, like using space heaters. We ask people to be careful about using those supplemental heaters and also get your conventional heating checked out as well,” the chief said. “Getting into the holidays, people are doing a lot of cooking so we see cooking fires as well.”

Chief Jenkins says to put a lid on a grease fire, do not try to put it out with water.

To register your information on the new ‘Community Connect’ portal, sign up here.