Fire departments share how cold temperatures make fires harder to tackle

"Our people can't take a break, they can't go grab a doughnut and a coffee," said Springfield Fire Chief Brandon Blough. Decatur and Springfield fire departments get non stop calls for fires during the winter especially. 

"A lot of times what that has to do with is people are trying to keep their houses warm enough. Not everybody's homes are as insulated. So they're trying different techniques to keep their their houses warm," Blough said.

The freezing temperatures bring in a new set of obstacles.

"When we're taking water from hydrants and putting them into fire trucks, and then trying to squirt them into houses, it creates a lot of ice and creates the potential for a lot of slips and falls and injuries to our people," Blough said. This week Decatur Firefighters battled a fire that lasted for hours in the cold.

"We brought in a city bus so that they had somewhere to go get warm while they were still at fire," said Decatur Police Chief Jeff Abbott. 

Springfield Fire Department says their low staff right now makes for more overtime for their employees. 

"You have you have people working more hours, that leads to fatigue and fatigue leads to you know, the potential for more injuries," Blough said. They say one way to work with the fire team is to make sure you're taking the correct precautions when operating heat devices.

"It's just one of those things where when you think that you're doing the right thing by trying to keep your house warm, you can create situations that are dangerous, and then you might have to call us. And that's the last thing you want to do when it's cold out," Blough said.