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Make This Holiday a Safe One


The holiday season is one of the most dangerous for household fires. Many of those fires are caused by Christmas trees, holiday decorations and candles. By taking a few safety precautions you may save your family from the devastating effects of a house fire this season.

Many artificial trees are fire resistant and much safer than cut trees that will eventually dry out.
A fresh tree will stay green longer and be less of a fire hazard than a dry tree. Tips on picking a fresh cut tree:
A fresh tree is green.
Fresh needles are hard to pull from branches.
When bent between your fingers, fresh needles do not break.
The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin.
When the trunk of a tree is bounced on the ground, a shower of falling needles shows that a tree is dry.
Place your tree away from fireplaces, radiators, and other heat sources.
Cut off about two inches of the trunk to expose fresh wood for better water absorption, and keep your tree watered.
Check light strings for frayed or damaged wires.
Never use electric lights on a metallic tree.
Turn off all lights on trees and other decorations when you go to bed or leave the house.
Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.
When opening presents, be sure to keep presents and all wrappings out of vicinity of heat sources.
Make sure that you have a working smoke detector in all sleeping areas


Candle Safety
Recently the number of home fires caused by candles has increased dramatically. Children were the cause of a large portion of these fires. On an average 40% of candle fires start in the bedroom; 20% in living rooms or family rooms; 10% in bathrooms, and the rest in other portions of the house. Not surprisingly, many of the fires start in the winter months, especially around the Christmas holiday and St. Valentine's Day. One third of these home fires were the result of unattended, abandoned, or inadequately supervised candles. Another 19% were because of combustible material left too close to a candle. We offer the following tips to reduce the number of candle-caused residential fires.
Keep candles and all open flames away from flammable liquid.
Keep candles away from combustible items, such as clothing, books, paper, Christmas trees and decorations.
Make sure any candles that you use are in sturdy, stable, non-combustible holders that are big enough to collect dripping wax.
Do not use water to extinguish candles or any burning wax. The hot wax can splatter and cause severe burns and the flame can flare.
Do not place burning candles in windows where blinds and drapes can inadvertently close over them.
Do not place candles where children or pets can knock them over.
Never leave a child unattended in a room with a lit candle.
During power outages, flashlights and other battery powered lights are much safer sources of light than candles.
Do not carry lit candles from place to place in your home.
Never use a candle to look for objects in confined places such as closets.
Never use a candle or other open flame for light when fueling equipment.
Never use a candle for light after an emergency such as an earthquake, a landslide or an explosion.
Always! Always! Extinguish all candles when leaving the house or going to bed.

Safe use of candles during the holiday season may ensure that you are around to celebrate your next birthday in the time-honored tradition by blowing out the candles on your birthday cake!


Fireplace Safety
Are you planning to use your fireplace this winter? Has it been awhile since you have had your chimney cleaned and inspected? Do you have a spark arrester? Now is the time to think about getting your chimney cleaned and inspected, and don't forget to check to make sure your spark arrester is in place and in good condition.