CASTLE ROCK, Colo. A Thanksgiving feast can bring in relatives from near and far or bring friends together to enjoy a meal of gratitude. First responders with Castle Rock Fire and Rescue (CRFD) know this holiday means a special meal with family members at the station, but that it could also bring more calls for help. "Our population has grown significantly and with that, call volume increases significantly during the holiday times," CRFD Battalion Chief Eric Morgenthaler said. On Thanksgiving Day in both 2022 and 2023, CRFD experienced a 30% increase in call volume compared to an average day in those years. Fire personnel shared several pieces of advice for community members to keep in mind with large gatherings and relatives heading into the area."As you're loading up your house with loved ones especially from out of town, some things to kind of keep in mind is if someone in your family or on your block does have an emergency of some kind, we've got to get our large trucks into that area, so be cognizant about where you're parking," said Chad Wachs, CRFD engineer. "All the extra cars that are coming in, keep an eye on where those fire hydrants are because the holidays do tend to be a little bit of an uptick in fires." While this day of giving thanks can bring lots of delicious plates to fruition, CRFD shared several pieces of advice to keep in mind to avoid a call to 911. "We're going to have stuff that's simmering all day long, and we don't want to have someone just standing guard, so ideally, take those handles, rotate them away so that if someone does walk by close or there is a kid in the room their not able to knock that off and then just have someone kind of floating around checking in on that stuff, keep an eye on whats going on," Wachs said.For many fire personnel, they know the holiday can bring more people into the area which can increase calls for help. Several crew members highlighted the importance of pulling over when emergency vehicles need to get quickly to a scene. "If were going to a fire, fire grows rapidly, so the quicker we can get there, the quicker that we can stop a fire or slow down the fire and get victims out," CRFD paramedic, Aaron Crewse, said. "If we're going to do a medical call, if somebody needs CPR or other advanced life support, it gets us there quicker, so we can provide treatments quicker."Fire personnel know the excitement surrounding a Thanksgiving feast and the many dishes family members or friends wish to prepare. Another piece of advice to keeping your loved ones and home safe is checking smoke alarms before the big meal, and being aware of plugging multiple items into electrical outlets. "If you got a number of crock pots and other electrical appliances that you need to plug in, one of the things to look for, especially in newer homes is a GFI outlet and you can identify that because it will have two buttons in the center of it," Wachs explained. "... If it were to trip, you'll hear it make a noise. When that outlet trips, you don't need to go find your breaker, just reset it by pushing the red button, in this case in the center of that to reset that outlet."Fire personnel understand the responsibility they hold in serving the community both on a normal Thursday and on Thanksgiving Day. As crews prepare for what could be an uptick in calls on the holiday, they hope the community will remember how they can avoid being in an emergency situation by testing smoke alarms and watching items on the stovetop. Crews also advise checking in on family members who may not be used to the elevation and know what medications elderly relatives take. "Ideally, if we can prevent an incident from occurring and we have the public's help in that, from that standpoint that prevents our members from getting out on the road, responding in those adverse conditions," Morgenthaler said.