Commonwealth Conversations: Public Safety

Deck the Halls with Thoughts of Safety

Marshal Stephen D. Coan
Fire Marshal, Department of Fire Services
Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
Marshal Coan's bio

Holiday lights, decorations, great food, and delightful gatherings of friends and families make this winter holiday season fun and are exactly the reasons that a fire at this time of year is so particularly tragic. As State Fire Marshal for nearly 16 years, I have responded far too many times to fires that have ruined the holidays for families. This year I am asking people to “deck the halls with thoughts of safety” and to take a few simple steps to keep your home safe for family and guests this holiday season.

The holidays we are celebrating involve lights and candles. Do not overload your electrical outlets with too many strands of lights plugged together. Burn candles inside a one-foot circle of safety free of anything that can catch fire and blow them out when you leave the room. A well-watered Christmas tree can stay fresh for a long time, but a dried out tree is like having a blow-torch in your living room so water the tree every day and dispose of it promptly after the holiday,

Remember the basics: make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working. Make a home escape plan and share it with everyone who spends the night.  Let’s make this a safe, happy holiday season.  For more tips on winter holiday safety please go to our webpage: www.mass.gov/dfs and type Winter Holiday Safety into the Search Box.

A Message from the Adjutant General

Major General Joseph C. Carter
The Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard
Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
Major General Carter's bio

Greetings and Happy Holidays! 

With the excitement of the holiday season now fully upon us it seems that the days are not long enough to accommodate our responsibilities at work, at home, to our children, our families and neighbors.  While there are different holidays to celebrate and traditions to observe we all share a common prayer:  that the New Year will bring us a renewed sense of purpose, peace in our world and prosperity to our communities, our Commonwealth and the Nation.

For the Soldiers, Airmen and Civilians of the Massachusetts National Guard (MANG), the joys of the holiday season are tempered by the sacrifices being made by many of our members and their families.  As I write this blog entry nearly 1,800 MANG Soldiers and Airmen are deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in support of the federal military mission and hundreds of others are preparing to deploy in the New Year.  All told, since 2001 approximately 8,000 MANG service members have served overseas deployments.  For those service men and women and their families the separation that comes during the holiday season is a true hardship that they bear with grace and dignity.  Moreover, the holiday season is particularly difficult for the families of the thirteen (13) MANG service members who have made the supreme sacrifice on behalf of our Nation as well as the many who have been injured and wounded.

So in the spirit of the holiday season I ask everyone to take a moment to stop and reflect on the service and sacrifice of our Commonwealth’s military members and veterans.  Wherever possible, please include them and their families in your community’s holiday celebrations as well as your thoughts and prayers.

I want to thank Secretary Heffernan for her steadfast leadership and support and for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the EOPSS blog to speak on behalf of the citizen-Soldiers and –Airmen of the MANG.

May the joy of the Holiday Season sustain all of us and bring us closer to a New Year of hope, prosperity and ultimately peace and security for all.