The 12 days of holiday fire safety campaign is underway.

The Ontario Fire Marshal kicked off the campaign in Toronto today. Nearly 140 fire departments are taking part, including in Kitchener and Waterloo.

The goal of the campaign is to make this the safest December on record. Traditionally December is the worst month for fire fatalities.

Fire Marshal Ted Wieclawek tells 570 News cooking is the number one cause of fires in the province, “What we’re hoping to do is to draw attention to the need to stay in the kitchen and to not leave things unattended.”

The number of fire departments taking part has seen a large increase this year, according to Wieclawek, “Last year, I think we had approximately 35 departments sign up. This year we have 140 to date. It covers about 8,000,000 of the population of Ontario.”

Wieclawek says they want people to make a pledge to go over the 12 days of holiday fire safety tips.

1. Water fresh trees daily.
2. Check all sets of lights before decorating.
3. Make sure you have working smoke alarms.. Remember, they wear out, so replace them every 10 years.
4. Make sure you have working carbon monoxide alarms. Remember, they wear out, so replace them every 7-10 years depending on the manufacturer.
5. Make sure everyone knows how to get out safely if a fire occurs.
6. Use extension cords wisely.
7. Give space heaters space.
8. When you go out, blow out!
9. Keep matches and lighters out of the sight and reach of children.
10. Watch what you heat!
11. Encourage smokers to smoke outside.
12. There’s more to responsible drinking than taking a cab home.