LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lights, candles, action – it’s the holiday season again.

Brightly lighted decorations, elaborate meals and large gatherings are all part of traditional holiday celebrations.

Unfortunately, local SERVPRO restoration specialists know that these seasonal traditions also cause an average of 230 home fires each year, with an average of four deaths, 21 injuries and $17.3 million in property damage.

“Christmas tree lights and candles are just two of the holiday traditions that increase the likelihood of a fire starting in your home,” said Rick Isaacson, executive vice president of Servpro Industries Inc.

“There are about three times as many cooking-related fires on Thanksgiving Day and almost twice as many on Christmas Day as there are on non-holidays. It only takes a single distracted or careless action to turn a family get-together into a tragedy.”

SERVPRO professionals in the Lakeport area say that homeowners can help keep their homes and their families safe during the holiday season by understanding the dangers and taking some simple, commonsense precautions.

Holiday cooking safety tips

• Supervise items on the stovetop. Fifty-eight percent of kitchen fires involve ranges; homes with electric cooktops have a higher risk of fire than homes with gas cooktops.
• Keep flammable items – potholders, packaging, wrapping, wooden utensils, loose clothing – away from the stovetop.
• Don’t let lack of sleep or alcohol consumption affect your ability to concentrate on preparing the meal.

Holiday decorating fire facts

• Half of all holiday decoration fires start because the decoration is too close to a heat source.
• On average, 32 candle fires are reported each day. December is the peak month for candle fires.

Holiday decorating safety tips:

• Keep all decorations away from heat sources like radiators, portable heaters, and fireplaces.
• Use flameless candles.
• If you do use traditional candles, burn them in sturdy candleholders, well away from drapes and other flammable materials. Never leave them unattended and never allow them to burn down to less than one inch in length.

Christmas tree fire facts:

• 50 percent of live tree fires occur between Dec. 22 and Jan. 5.
• 31 percent of tree fires are caused by electrical problems.
• 14 percent involve decorative lights.

Christmas tree safety tips:

• Keep live trees well watered to reduce the chance of a fire.
• Check wiring on lights for breaks and wear, replace worn strings and don’t exceed manufacturer guidelines for connecting multiple strands of lights.
• Don’t leave tree lights plugged in when you are away from home or asleep.

“We hope these tips will be a reminder to Lakeport area families to make fire prevention a priority in their holiday preparations,” said Isaacson, “so they can spend the season enjoying family and friends, not dealing with the aftermath of a fire.”

For more fire prevention tips visit www.servpro.com .

LUCERNE, Calif. – A caregiver support group for families dealing with memory loss or other cognitive impairments will meet on Thursday, Dec. 5.

The group meets at the First Lutheran Church, 3863 Country Club Drive across from the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Social worker Jenny Johnson is the facilitator.

The group is sponsored by Redwood Caregiver Resource Center (1-800-834-1636) and the Social Day Programs in Lake County.

For more information call Jenny Johnson at 707-350-3030 or Caroline Denny at 707-263-9481.

Respite is provided by the centers at no charge.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County and the Kelseyville United Methodist Church are hosting a Christmas carol sing-a-long after the parade at Kelseyville’s Christmas in the Country event on Friday, Dec. 6.

The two congregations share the church facility which is located at 3810 Main St.

The church will be decorated for the holiday, with plenty of special cookies, treats, hot chocolate and coffee available for visitors. Musicians will lead visitors in singing Christmas Carols. Song sheets will be provided.

There is no charge for the refreshments. However, donations of food or money for the Kelseyville Food Pantry will be gratefully accepted during the evening.

Food for the Kelseyville Food Pantry is stored at the church. Every second and fourth Tuesday of the month, Kelseyville residents who need food are invited to visit the church to receive a bag of food for their families.

The Food Pantry relies entirely on donations of food and money which is used to purchase items that are needed.

It has been two years since the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County joined with the Kelseyville United Methodist Church to share space in the historic Methodist Church building.

Since that time, the two congregations have worked together on projects and activities for the benefit of Kelseyville and Lake County.

For more information, please call 707-279-4387.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild had a spectacular November guest.

Thom Atkins is a quilter and beader.

Some of his projects were quite large, all were beautiful and gave the guild members a new insight to bring their quilts to life.

Atkins used seed beads, oblong beads, glittering beads and just about any kind you can imagine.

His mermaid was something to see; the beads were uniform in both color and style.

The guild enjoyed and appreciated the artistry Atkins exhibits.

A first-of-its-kind independent advisory committee presented its recommendations for the implementation of the U.S. Forest Service’s 2012 Planning Rule to U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Undersecretary Robert Bonnie and Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, recommending strengthened collaboration, improved planning efficiencies and more effective and informed decision making.

The Planning Rule Federal Advisory Committee ( FACA) also made recommendations that strengthen ecological, social, economic and cultural sustainability objectives of the rule.

This includes recommendations intended to deepen the level of stakeholder collaboration in forest planning, as well as recommendations regarding outreach, adaptive management, monitoring, wilderness, climate change, intergovernmental relations, species protection, and water resources.

The committee, formed in January 2012, advises the Secretary of Agriculture through the Chief of the Forest Service by providing advice and recommendations on the new rule and its directives.

The proposed planning directives guide implementation of the planning rule which was published in the Federal Register in April 2012, and became effective a month later.

“The members of this committee collectively bring to the table a vast amount of knowledge, passion and interest in our national forests and grasslands,” said Bonnie. “We thank this diverse group of members for their hard work in rolling up their sleeves to provide us recommendations on the 2012 Planning Rule. This committee further illustrates our commitment to an open and transparent planning rule and process for implementation.

“This committee worked long and hard through a host of difficult issues to present us with these recommendations to help us manage our public lands for the greatest good,” Tidwell said. “The recommendations reinforce the importance of this Planning Rule and the role our national forests and grasslands serve for the American public – whether that be through recreation, clean water or supporting local economies.”

The committee is comprised of 21 members with varied backgrounds, who represent the full range of public interests in management of the National Forest System lands and who also represent geographically diverse locations and communities.

All FACA meetings are open to the public, and all proceedings and relevant documents are posted online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/planningrule/home/?cid=stelprdb5346267 .

The agency’s planning rule Web site has the latest information on the committee, the planning rule and its directives.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Community Radio, KPFZ, 88.1 FM, is hosting its annual Friends and Members Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 14.

The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 149 N. Main St. in Lakeport.

Please drop by to meet the radio programmers and volunteers, tour the facilities, enjoy a beverage and a bite to eat, and catch up on the latest at the radio station.

This is a no charge event and everyone is welcome.

For more information, call 707-263-3640.