Holidays Safety tips
Respect electricity at all times. Fire
can be a good thing when treated with respect, but can be a danger when paired
with the many distractions during the holiday season. So in the quest to create
a good old-fashioned family celebration, follow these important safety tips:-
INDOORS
·
Is your tree live? If
so, make sure it is fresh and green with needles that are hard to pull from the
branches.
·
Place the tree in a
stand with water, well away from heaters or the fireplace, and check the water
daily.
·
Before putting lights
on the tree or using them in other home decorations, examine them carefully. Do
they have frayed wiring or loose sockets? Throw them out! Make sure any you
keep or replace have been tested for safety by an independent testing
laboratory.
·
Make sure all light
sockets have bulbs in them. Children are fascinated by lights and could put
their fingers in empty sockets.
·
Do not let bulbs touch
tree branches. Never burn candles on or near the tree and never use flammable
decorations.
·
Never use lights on a
metallic tree. If the lights become faulty, the entire tree could be
electrified.
·
Be careful not to
overload extension cords, outlets or even whole circuits in the house.
·
For optimum safety as
well as energy efficiency, use smaller, cool-burning LED lights.
·
Place wires where they
cannot trip anyone. Do not run them under rugs.
·
Turn off decorative
lighting when you leave the room.
OUTDOORS
·
Make sure the lights
used are specifically designated for outdoor use and the cords are not worn or
frayed.
·
Use a non-conducting
fiberglass or wooden ladder when working with strings of lights, and stay clear
of all overhead wires.
·
Turn the electricity
off before replacing bulbs.
·
Never let light bulbs
touch flammable materials such as plastic or dry grass and leaves.
·
For outside use, work
only with three-wire grounded extension cords.
·
Use rubber gaskets in
light sockets or hang sockets downward to keep water out.
·
Keep connections and
lights off the ground by hanging them over wooden stakes.
Follow all safety
guidelines to ensure that you and your family make happy memories and get to
enjoy this time with those you care about most.
WINTER
HOLIDAY FIRES
Christmas trees
·
Between 2012-2016,
U.S. fire departments responded to an average 170 home fires that started with
Christmas trees per year. These fires caused an average of 4 deaths, 15
injuries, and $12 million in direct property damage annually.
·
On average, one of
every 45 reported home fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in a
death, compared to an average of one death per 139 total reported home fires.
·
Electrical
distribution or lighting equipment was involved in 43% of home Christmas tree
fires.
·
In one-quarter (27%)
of the Christmas tree fires and in 80% of the deaths, some type of heat source,
such as a candle or equipment, was too close to the tree.
·
More than one-fifth
(22%) of Christmas tree fires were intentional.
·
Forty-two percent
of reported home Christmas tree fires occurred in December and 33% were
reported in January.
·
Two of every
five (40%) home Christmas tree fires started in the living room, family
room, or den.
Source: NFPA's "Home
Structure Fires Involving Christmas Trees" report
Holiday decorations
·
U.S. fire departments
responded to an estimated average of 800 home structure fires
per year that began with decorations, excluding Christmas trees, in 2012-2016.
These fires caused an annual average of two civilian fire deaths, 34 civilian
fire injuries and $11 million in direct property damage.
·
Ten percent of
decoration fires were intentional.
·
The decoration was too
close to a heat source such as a candle or equipment in two of every five (42%)
fires.
·
More than one-fifth
(21%) of the decoration fires started in the kitchen. Fifteen percent started
in the living room, family room or den.
·
One-fifth (19%) of the
home decoration fires occurred in December.
Candles
·
On average, 23 home
candle fires were reported each day between 2012-2016.
·
More than half (56%)
of the December home decoration fires were started by candles, compared to
one-third (31%) in January to November.
·
The top three days for
home candle fires were Christmas, New Year’s Day, and New Year's Eve.
Holiday cooking
·
Thanksgiving is the
peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.
·
Cooking equipment was
involved in 20% of home decoration fires. This can happen when a decoration is
left on or too close to a stove or other cooking equipment.
Fireworks
·
Ten percent of
fireworks fires occur during the period from December 30 through January 3,
with the peak on New Year's Day.
Source:
NFPA's "Fireworks" report.
Heating, holiday decorations, winter storms
and candles all contribute to an increased risk of fire during the winter
months.
