Schertz Police Offers Holiday Safety Tips
The holiday season is an opportune time for potential criminal activity such as theft and robberies. Schertz Police Department would like to remind everyone of some holiday safety tips you can take to protect yourself, your family, and your property.
- Stay alert to your surroundings and the people around you
- Try to avoid shopping alone; there is safety in numbers
- Avoid carrying large amounts of cash
- Be alert, criminals look for "high-dollar store" shopping bags with your purchases
- Watch your belongings if eating in mall food courts
- Have your car keys ready in hand before leaving stores
- Keep your purchases out of sight and stored in the trunk
- Park in high-visibility areas
- Shop early and leave early to avoid evening darkness
- Keep your home well-lit with doors locked and curtains closed
- Don't display gifts beneath the Christmas tree that can be seen from windows or doors
- After the holidays, don't advertise the gifts you've received by posting on social media or placing boxes out for trash collection
- Leave a radio or television on so the house seems occupied
- Get an automatic timer for your lights
- Ask a neighbor to watch your home, collect mail, and park in the driveway
- Ask to have your newspaper delivery stopped
The Schertz Police Department would like to encourage residents if you see something, say something, and notify the police department by contacting the non-emergency phone number at (210) 619-1274. In case of emergency, call 9-1-1.
Stay Safe in the Kitchen this Holiday Season
For most, the kitchen is the heart of the home, especially during the holidays. From testing family recipes to decorating cakes and cookies, everyone enjoys being part of the preparations.
So keeping fire safety top of mind in the kitchen during this joyous but hectic time is important, especially when there’s a lot of activity and people at home. As you start preparing your holiday schedule and organizing that large family feast, remember, by following a few simple safety tips you can enjoy time with your loved ones and keep yourself and your family safer from fire.
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food.
- Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.
- Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three feet away.
- Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
- Keep knives out of the reach of children.
- Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
- Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
- Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle.
- Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.
- Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires with more than three times the daily average for such incidents. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve ranked second and third, with both having nearly twice the daily average.
- In 2019, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,400 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving, the peak day for such fires.
- Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.
- Cooking caused half (49 percent) of all reported home fires and more than two of every five (42 percent) home fire injuries, and it is the second leading cause of home fire deaths (20 percent) in 2015-2019.
Source: NFPA Research
