The holiday season is a time of celebration, family, food, and tradition. We love to enjoy meals together, Christmas tree decorating, and warming up by the fire. With the wonderful scent of Christmas candles filling the room, it begins to feel cheerful and exciting. We have no worries other than what we will cook for our Christmas meals and what gifts we will put under the tree.
There is one more item you should add to the top of your holiday favorite activities, and that is "Christmas safety". With all our baking and decorations, electrical hazards and open flames can cause safety issues in your home. As you prepare to light candles and play holiday music, remember to follow fire safety tips. This will help keep you and your loved ones safe this holiday season.
Holiday Safety Tips
Every year, hundreds of fires are reported due to Christmas trees, candles, and improper fireplace usage. Most fires are preventable if only a few precautions are taken to ensure proper safety measures are in place. So, as you bring out the candles, lights, and wood, follow these electrical safety tips and enjoy a safer holiday season.
- Use caution when putting up light decorations on your Christmas tree and around your home. Use proper work practices when installing lights and follow these light safety tips.
- Check whether your Christmas lights are intended for indoor or outdoor use. Keep cords dry and away from any moist surfaces. The improper use of indoor or outdoor lights can increase your risk of a fire incident.
- Don't overburden your extension cords. Keep them uncovered and unplug them when they are not in use. Be sure to leave enough slack in the cord and keep extension cords away from children and pets.
- Use a wooden ladder instead of a metal ladder when stringing lights to prevent accidental electrical shock.
- Only plug outdoor Christmas lights into electric circuits protected by Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs).
- Avoid using Christmas lights with worn, cracked or frayed cords.
- Stringing too many lights together can increase your risk of an electrical shock or fire. Likewise, do not overload your outlets when plugging in lights and other electrical decorations.
- Keep flammable items away from cooktops, ovens, and candles.
- Towels, curtains, holiday decorations, and other flammable materials should remain at least 3 feet away from any hot or flammable source.
- Be sure to test your smoke alarms to ensure they are working properly.
- Have properly rated fire extinguishers on hand in case of an emergency. Check out our blog to learn more about the different types of fires and how to extinguish them.
- Use candleholders to properly secure candles before lighting the flame.
- Keep candles out of reach of children.
- Candle-holding devices can help secure candles to prevent accidents such as hot wax spills.
- Never leave lights or candles on overnight. These can be a fire hazard if left on or unattended. This includes unplugging lights on your Christmas tree or other decorations around the house.
- Check your fireplace to ensure it is clean before use.
- Using a fire screen will help protect you and your loved ones from the flames and ensure embers stay contained.
- Be sure that all flames are extinguished once you’re finished using the fireplace.
Avoiding Holiday Kitchen Fires
The holidays become your chance to try out every recipe you've been pinning to your Pinterest board throughout the year. From the most experienced to the newest bakers and chefs, it seems everyone wants to try their hand in the kitchen. But those tasty new recipes may bring more than a delicious new appetizer to your holiday party. Here are a few tips to keep your kitchen fire-free.
- Have oven mitts on hand before your timers go off. You don't want to find yourself in a scramble to find proper heat protection and risk grabbing the wrong item.
- Don't rush your recipe. Increasing your stove or oven temperature above the recipe recommendation can risk burning your food or worse!
- Never leave your oven or stove unattended while your food is cooking. And, remember to turn off your oven and stove after you finish cooking your food.
- Don't try to put out a grease fire with water. Having a class K fire extinguisher on hand will help if you do experience a grease fire in your kitchen.
- Avoid wearing loose clothing while baking and cooking. You can wear an apron to keep your clothes clean and away from any kitchen heat sources.
Stay safe and enjoy your holiday baking adventures this season.
Preventing Christmas Tree Fires
Whether you like a real tree or an artificial one, there are safety tips for all Christmas trees. Follow these tips to stay safe this holiday season.
Artificial Christmas Trees
Artificial trees are often made to be fire-resistant. When shopping for your tree, check to see if the label indicates it is fire-resistant. This might not prevent a fire outbreak, but it does reduce the risk and helps any fires to be extinguished more effortlessly.
If you’re hoping for a pre-lit artificial Christmas tree, make sure the tree has a seal from an approved safety testing laboratory. Replace any bulbs that are burnt out before plugging in your tree.
Even though many artificial trees can be fire resistant, you should still make sure your tree is set up away from any heat sources.
Real Christmas Trees
Nothing beats the smell of a real Christmas tree. To ensure your tree stays fresh and lasts all season, be sure to pick a tree with fresh green needles that do not easily come off when you touch them. Stay away from dry trees as they are at a higher risk of catching fire.
Be sure to check the water level of your stand daily and ensure there is always water left. This will help prevent your tree from drying out too quickly.
Just like artificial trees, real trees should not be placed near any heat sources as this will greatly increase the risk of a fire.
How Do Christmas Trees Catch Fire?
Christmas trees can catch fire for many reasons. One reason is electrical issues from decorations. Heat sources that are too close to the tree can also cause fires.
If you purchased your real Christmas tree early in the season, you could be at an increased risk of your tree catching on fire. After your tree has been cut, it begins to dry out. The longer your tree has been cut, the dryer it becomes, and your Christmas tree could show signs of dryness before the holiday season is over. Dry Christmas trees are more susceptible to heat sources or Christmas lights that could also cause electrical fires.
A fire can easily be avoided when proper precautions are taken. So, be safe, and enjoy a wonderful holiday season with friends and family.
