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"December is considered one of the deadliest months when it comes to house fires.Colder weather can create dangers as people try to stay warm and means more challenges for firefighters.Battalion Fire Chief Frank Cook said he\u2019s been a firefighter for nearly 30 years and each year the cold weather proves to be a problem.Watch this story\u201CObviously water is our principal agent for fighting fires, so once it drops below 32 degrees, that water is going to freeze,\u201D Cook said.Cook said in addition to the risk of firefighters slipping and falling, they have to continually run the water in the hoses so it won't freeze.If it snows, that\u2019s an added concern.\u201CIt really slows down our response and then try to stretch or advance hose lines on ice or snow creates another hazard for us,\u201D he said.Typically additional crews are called in to help fight fires when the temperatures are dangerously low.The types of calls are also changing with the dropping temperatures, as more families who find alternative means to keep their homes warm.\u201CJust a couple weeks ago, we had that situation here in the township where an individual had to many portable heaters on one circuit,\u201D Cook said.According to the National Fire Protection Association, space heaters account for one-third of home heating fires and four out of five home heating deaths.Cook said he isn\u2019t against portable heaters as long as people use them correctly.Since December through March are the peak months for home fire deaths, Cook is asking everyone to make sure they have working smoke detectors with fresh batteries."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wlwt.com/article/colder-weather-means-more-hazards-for-firefighters-residents/3537807>