1. Local Pilot News • Wednesday, November 26, 2014Page A2
County Digest
in the county have a brighter holiday.
Each year more than 800 applications are received and
then reviewed by by a committee. The children begin
their shopping experience with breakfast supplied by
Kilwinning Lodge No. 149 and then they head to Wal-mart.
Kids get to pick out winter coats, hats, gloves, boots and
warm clothing items. Then if they haven’t spent their entire
budget they get to take a trip to the toy aisle. The kids
do more than just shop with a cop; they begin to build a
relationship with an officer. Those relationships can last a
lifetime.
For more information about the auction, including a
list of items and their auction time block visit www.shop-
withacop195.org. For information about how to get a bid
number or to make an auction item donation call WTCA at
574-936-4096.
traffic area or anywhere to be tripped
over. They’re not a god idea with small
children and animals, which increases
the chances of them getting knocked
over,” said John Knepp, fire chief for
the city of Lapaz.
Some may look towards a more nat-
ural source of heating with wood burn-
ing stoves and fireplaces, but they too
have caveats attached to them.
“With those items, the main thing is
to make sure the chimney is cleaned
out on a regular basis at least twice
during a season at the minimum by a
professional company that can clean it
all the way through,” said Schafer.
Ways to prevent fires in a stove
or fireplace is to make sure that the
proper wood is used in those devices.
“They should be seasoned for one
year before you burn it. The more
moisture you’ve got in wood the more
creosote you’ll have in the chimney,”
he said.
Creosote is a oil distilled from coal
tar and sometimes the burning of
wood. In fireplaces and wood burning
stoves, creosote levels can build up
quickly and is easily flammable.
“That’s what creates and problem
and creates an ignitable product. It
burns at a real rapid hot rate. The
problem with it is that when [fires]
burn out, [the creosote] can get so
hot it watches the wood on the attic
structure or insulation around the
chimney area on fire,” said Schafer.
Gleeson has some advice in deal-
ing with fireplaces properly to
ensure further safety during winter
heating.
“Keep anything flammable away
from fireplaces, and use only paper
or kindling to start a fire. Always
have a fire extinguisher on hand in
case the fire grows too large or out
of control,” he said.
Some may even consider using
ovens as a cheap alternative to heat-
ing their homes, but both Schafer
and Knepp warn against this prac-
tice.
“There’s so many dangers with using
ovens to heat a house. If it’s a gas oven,
and you do have actual combustion
going on, its just a lot to you have to
worry about with. Open ovens pose
a danger, especially to small animals
and children, who can
get burnt,” said Knepp.
He also stressed that
using ovens to heat
homes, which are not
designed to heat large
spaces but cook food,
can contribute to the
increased danger of CO
emissions in a home.
Overloading plugs can
be a common practice
during the holidays, for
heating and Christmas
lighting.
“I hope that every-
thing is wired correctly,
and the breakers would
blow before an electrical
fire happens. Try not to
plug too much into the
same outlet, and don’t use multiplug
adapters or surge protectors,” Knepp
cautioned.
Extension cords are more dangerous
that outlets or power strips in Schafer’s
view, especially if the cords are hidden
under rugs for ease and convenience of
electrical availability.
Extension cords run underneath rugs
can get worn and compromised by nor-
mal foot traffic, as the wear works its
way bag and forth over the insulation,
creating the potential for a short.
“Just make sure whenever you’re
going to purchase an appliance, make
sure that it is UL (underwriter labora-
tory) tested. These are actually tested
in a lab setting to where they meet
certain standards and criteria, and if
they do not meet them, [the appli-
ance] cannot get a UL listing,” Schafer
explained.
With the holidays soon to arrive,
Christmas lights can also pose a hazard
in electrical fires.
“Most people don’t look at the UL
label and realize the regular halogen
lights are not recommended for use
more than 30 days in a row. A lot
of businesses are not aware of that,”
he went on to say, stating that lights
should be checked for weak spots at
the sockets and that there are no holes.
If there is any doubt, the lights should
be replaced.
Schafer recommends plugging many
lights into a power strip with sufficient
watt capacities. Lights can be reused,
as long as they are checked for prob-
lems.
Knepp had a final parting piece of
advice about staying safe while warm-
ing residential homes.
“There’s always more structure
fires in the colder months of the year,
whether it’s due to misuses of heating
things or the fact that it’s colder so
there’s more of a draw on electricity
from a lot of different causes,” finished
Knepp.
Fire, continued from front
Auction, from front
• Eric Russell Johnson, 20, Plymouth, was arrested
at 10:10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24 by the Plymouth Police
Department and charged with resisting law enforcement,
operating a vehicle while intoxicated, possession mari-
juana, salvia, hashish, hash oil, and illegal consumption of
an alcoholic beverage. Bond was set at $1,505.
• Kenneth Ray Harkins Jr., 51, Plymouth, was arrested at
10:20 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24 by the Marshall County Police
Department and charged with failure to appear.
• Christian Darrell Albert, 23, Culver, was arrested at
11:41 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24 by the MCPD and charged with
probation violation. Bond was set at $505.
Information on these arrests was provided by law enforcement
agencies. Individuals whose names appear in these reports are
presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.
Jail bookings There’s always more
structure fires in the cold-
er months of the year,
whether it’s due to mis-
uses of heating things or
the fact that it’s colder
so there’s more of a
draw on electricity from
a lot of different causes.
— John Knepp
FILE PHOTO
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can mean
the difference between life and death. They should
be regularly checked each month with batteries
replaced once per year.
C Y B E R
Monday Deals
SHOP LOCAL WITH
Go to www.thepilotnews.com on
December 1, 2014 and check out the deals!
THE PILOT NEWS GROUP
Pilot News
Tickets on sale now at the Lerner Theatre Box Office, charge by phone
574/293-4469 or online www.thelerner.com, Orbit Music / Mishawaka,
Audio Specialists / State Road 933 North-South Bend, Karma Records /
Plymouth & Warsaw, Wooden Nickel Records / Fort Wayne, LaPorte Civic
Auditorium Box Office
Tickets on sale now at the State Theatre Box
Office, charge by phone 800-745-3000 and
www.ticketmaster.com
Tickets on sale now at Morris
Performing Arts Center Box Office, Orbit
Music/Mishawaka, Audio Specialists/
SR 933-South Bend,Karma Records/
Plymouth & Warsaw, Wooden Nickel
Records/Fort Wayne, LaPorte Civic
Auditorium Box Office, charge by phone
574/235-9190 or www.morriscenter.org
Join us downtown as
we kick off the
holiday season with
our annual tree
lighting ceremony
and celebration.
There will be food,
music, shopping,
caroling, ice
scluptures, free kids
crafts, light show at
River Park and
holiday cheer
aplenty!
Friday,
November 28
Tree Lighting
@ 6 p.m.
Enjoy Downtown
Shopping, Food
& Entertainment
All Day!
Sponsored by:
and Parade of Lights
The City of PlymouthTh Cit f Pl th