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Family
gatherings, entertaining, holiday decorations -- these are but a few
of the activities that make the winter holidays so special and
memorable. But each of these activities brings with it an element of
fire risk. Each year during the winter holiday season, fires occur,
often with tragic results. |
The winter holidays are a time for celebration, and that
means more cooking, home decorating, entertaining, and an
increased risk of fire due to heating equipment.
Safety tips:
Holiday
decorating
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Use caution with holiday
decorations and whenever possible, choose those made with
flame-resistant, flame-retardant or non-combustible materials.
-
Keep candles away from decorations and other
combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate
Christmas trees .
-
Purchase only lights and
electrical decorations bearing the name of an independent testing
lab, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation and
maintenance.
-
Carefully inspect new and
previously used light strings and replace damaged items before
plugging lights in. Do not overload extension cords.
-
Check your strands of lights to
determine the number of strands that may be connected. Connect no
more than three strands of push-in bulbs and a maximum of 50 bulbs
for screw-in bulbs.
-
Always unplug lights before
replacing light bulbs or fuses.
-
Don't mount lights in any way that
can damage the cord's wire insulation (i.e., using clips, not
nails).
-
Keep children and pets away from
light strings and electrical decorations.
-
Turn off all light strings and
decorations before leaving home or going to bed.
Holiday
entertaining
-
Unattended
cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the
U.S. When cooking for holiday visitors, remember to keep an eye on
the range.
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If you smoke, smoke outside.
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Wherever you smoke, provide plenty
of large, deep sturdy ashtrays and check them frequently. Cigarette
butts can smolder in the trash and cause a fire, so completely douse
cigarette butts with water before discarding.
-
After a party, always check on,
between and under upholstery and cushions and inside trash cans for
cigarette butts that may be smoldering.
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Keep matches and lighters up high,
out of sight and reach of children (preferably in a locked cabinet).
When smokers visit your home, ask them to keep their smoking
materials with them so young children do not touch them.
-
Test your smoke alarms, and let
guests know what your
fire escape plan is.
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