The holidays are filled with fun and laughter, and the Selma Fire Department is trying to help them stay that way by giving the public tips on how to be safe and avoid a devastating fire.

The Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office reported this week that there has been 86 fire deaths this year, up from 82 in 2013. Selma fire chief Mike Stokes said prevention is the best way to stay safe.

“These tips are certainly for this time of year, but they’re year around tips,” Stokes said. “What we encourage people to do with all of their decorations, [is to] make sure that they’re Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved, make sure what they’re using indoors is designed to be used indoors, and if they’re using it outdoors,that it’s designed to be used outdoors.”

He said that the biggest thing to pay attention to during the winter months are space heaters, as heaters and ovens helped contribute to the most fire deaths in Alabama in 2014, according to the fire marshal’s office.

“Heaters and things like that — make sure that everything is kept within three feet away from the heater. Make sure they are UL approved. Make sure that clothes are kept away from them,” Stokes said. “They are not used for anything except to help warm the immediate area around that heater.”

Candles can be another safety hazard around the home, even after they have been blown out.

“Make sure you blow them out long before you’re leaving or long before you go to bed,” Stokes said. “Even though you’ve blown them out, the containers that these candles are in can get extremely hot.”

During a conference in 2013, Alabama fire chiefs launched a campaign called “Turn Your Attention to Fire Prevention” to help people think about ways they can keep themselves and their families safe.

“We’re really trying to push everybody in our community and across the state to turn their attention to fire prevention,” Stokes said. “A fire death is needless. There’s no need for it.”

One of the best ways to stay on top of things is to make sure all smoke detectors are up to date and the batteries are functional.

“If you haven’t changed your batteries in your smoke detector when the time changed, we encourage you to go do that today. When you’re going out and buying batteries for these toys, go ahead and buy an extra nine-volt battery for that smoke detector in your home,” Stokes said. “After ten years ,you need to take them down, throw them away and buy an new one.”

During the holidays, Stokes said the best thing to do is just keep an eye on what’s going on and be aware.

“Watch out for little ones,” Stokes said. “Know what’s going on in your surrounding at all times, and if there’s any doubt that something’s malfunctioning go ahead and unplug it.”