Safety in the Home

home fire safety

Our top priority at the Woodland Fire Department is working to keep our City a safe place to live, work, and play.  

We want to provide further steps YOU can take to prepare, prevent, and protect you and your family against fires and other emergencies.  


Be safe and be prepared! 

With help from our partners from Yolo County Office of Emergency Services, California Office of the State Fire Marshal, National Fire Protection Association,  CAL FIRE, American Burn Association, and Federal Emergency Management Agency, new information is always coming available and  this page will change and update constantly.  We encourage you to visit our page often.

Carbon Monoxide

So you’ve tested your smoke alarm… but when was the last time you tested your Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarm??

Over the past several months, we have received several calls from homes with chirping CO alarms. Chirping is distinctly different from a sounding alarm that alerts you of elevated levels of CO in your home. That random chirping was created to annoy you – it means it time to replace the batteries or replace the device.

**Why are so many homes needing to replace CO alarms at the same time?**

Typically, CO alarm devices have a life span of five to seven years, and in July of 2011 (seven years ago!) the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (Senate Bill 183) required owners of all single-family homes with an attached garage or a fossil fuel source to install carbon monoxide detectors within the home. Your CO alarm is letting you know it’s time to replace!

CO alarms in the home are extremely important: You can't see or smell carbon monoxide, but at high levels, it can kill a person in minutes.

The ONLY way to detect CO is with a working CO alarm.  Check out this video from CAL FIRE

More information, check out these tips from NFPA:

Carbon Monoxide Safety

Get to Know CO Alarms


Fire Pit in your Backyard? 

Make sure you are following these safety rules to ensure a safe, enjoyable addition to your home!

Residential Recreational Burning  


Emergency Planning 

How will you be notified of an emergency that impacts our community?

Sign up for Yolo- Alert to receive emails and/or texts. www.Yolo-Alert.org

This system enables us to provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such a severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods.

Sign up TODAY!yolo alert

Christmas Tree Safety

A small fire that starts or spreads to a Christmas tree in the house can grow large very quickly! Be fire smart with your tree!

Check out this video from NFPA to see the difference it makes when you water your tree daily! 

Here are a few more tips to stay safe this season:

  • Before placing the tree in the stand, cut 2" from the base of the trunk,
  • Make sure the tree is at lease three feet away from any heat source, like fire places, radiators, candles, heat vents, or lights.
  • Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed. 
  • Get rid of the tree after Christmas or when it is dry. 

Further tips from NFPA are available here:

Christmas Tree Safety Tips 

Winter Holiday Tips


Cooking Safety

Did you know? 47% of all home fires are caused by cooking? This is 100% preventable! Practice safe cooking habits in the home to prevent burns and scalds from hot liquids like hot coffee and microwaved soup - they can cause serious injuries.

The American Burn Association offers the following tips:

  • Wear short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking
  • Keep a pan lid and dry potholders or oven mitts near you EVERY time you cook.
  • Turn pot or pan handles toward the back of the stove. 

More information available here:

NFPA Scald Prevention

American Burn Association Cooking Safety


Home Safety Inspections - from Safe Kids Worldwide