With the holiday season upon us, it’s important to keep fire safety in mind. Christmas trees, candles, and decorations can all pose a fire hazard if not handled property. Therefore, we have compiled 12 fire safety precautions to keep you and your loved ones safe this holiday season:

  1. Never leave a burning candle unattended – extinguish any lit candles when you leave the room, your house, or to go to sleep. Candles start more than half of all home decoration structure fires, and most occur in December.
  2. Turn off tree lights, decorations, and portable space heaters when away or asleep – heating equipment is responsible for more than 50,000 fires every year. This is why it’s important to unplug these items to avoid a possible fire hazard.
  3. Don’t overload circuits, extension cords, or electrical sockets – overloading these could potentially pose a fire hazard. Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.
  4. Never leave cooking or baking unattended – Most people don’t realize that cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires. This is why it’s always important to be extra careful when cooking and never leave anything in the stove or on the cooktop unattended.
  5. Maintain woodburning fireplaces and chimneys – Nothing is cozier than relaxing by the fire, but it’s very important to have them cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. Also, make sure to keep anything that can potentially ignite at least three feet away from the fireplace.
  6. Make sure that your artificial tree is fire-resistant – Look for a label on the side of your Christmas tree box that reads “fire resistant.” Although the label doesn’t mean that the tree won’t catch on fire, it does indicate that the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
  7. Check your smoke detector battery – Make sure that they’re tested regularly, and the batteries replaced at least once or twice a year. A working smoke alarm cuts your risk of home fire death in half.
  8. Check your Christmas lights before they go up on the tree – Throw away light strands with frayed or pinched wires. Also, turn off all holiday lights before going to bed or leaving your home.
  9. Water your Christmas tree, if real – A dry Christmas tree can burn very hot and very fast.
  10. Trim the stump – The stump of your Christmas tree needs to be trimmed by at least two inches on freshly cut trees. Allow it to absorb water for 24 hours before bringing it inside of your home.
  11. Choose a healthy tree – Make sure that the tree you choose has fresh, green needles. If the needles fall off when you touch it, it’s already dying and could pose a fire hazard.
  12. Check your fire extinguisher – Make sure that it’s not expired and in good-working condition so that it can be used if needed.

 

By following these simple precautions, you can help ensure that your holiday season is safe, enjoyable, and free from the danger of a fire.