Do's & Dont's: Fire Prevention During the Holidays

10/9/2020 (Permalink)

Take extra precautions during the holidays in order to prevent fires in your home!

The holiday season is an exciting time to gather with family and friends, decorate the home, share meals, and celebrate. Throughout the festivities, you need to take extra precautions to prevent accidents. The winter months are the most common months for home fires and fire restoration services. To keep your family safe and the holidays merry, follow the fire prevention tips below.

Do:

Use flameless candles.

Open flames from candles can be especially dangerous with children and pets running around the house. Consider switching to flameless LED candles, which flicker just like real candles without posing a fire risk. If you use real candles, keep them far out of reach from kids and animals and never leave them burning unsupervised.

Keep an eye on your cooking.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, more than 50% of all residential fires were started while cooking. When families are preparing large amounts of food while entertaining guests, it’s easy to get distracted and neglect the oven or stove. Stay in the kitchen when cooking and continuously check on your food.

Test cords and lights before use.

Always inspect and test holiday lights before hanging them up, and throw out any sets with damaged cords, loose connections, or cracked bulbs. Frayed and exposed wires can easily cause an electrical fire. Never leave decorative lighting on unattended—unplug all lights before leaving the house and going to bed.

Don’t:

Overload your electrical circuits.

Too many electronics, appliances, and decorations plugged in can overload your circuits and cause sparks. Limit your use of extension cords and unplug any item that isn’t in use.

Avoid using outlets in rooms that already have many large appliances, such as the kitchen. Invest in LED lighting to cut back on your electricity usage.

Let Christmas trees dry out.

Dry and brittle trees are more likely to ignite and burn quickly. Watering Christmas trees every day significantly reduces their risk of catching fire. As soon as the holidays end or your tree dries out, dispose of it properly.

Place plants near heat sources.

It may be tempting to fill the space next to a heater or in front of the fireplace with plants, but this can create a serious fire hazard. All plants and Christmas trees should be kept several feet away from any heat sources. This includes light bulbs, radiators, space heaters, and floor and wall registers.