Christmas Tree Safety Stressed During FDL Press Conference

What better place to stress the importance of Christmas tree safety than in a tree lot? Gille’s on the south end of Main Street in Fond du Lac was the scene of a press conference Tuesday morning for the effort between Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue and Shriner’s Hospital for Children. Gille’s and A & W tree lots are both participating in a program distributing ornaments with fire safety messages with each tree sold. Fire Lieutenant Jason Roberts learned about the Shriner’s effort and brought it to the city. He says watering trees daily and keeping them away from heat sources is part of their message. The ornament program is a piece of the Green Bay Shrine’s Stop Burn Injury program that was initiated in 2012. Past Potentate Eugene Reece says there is no cost to the fire department to participate in the program. Annually there are 200 home fires that began with Christmas trees.