Have a Merry Holiday Season with Good Holiday Fire Safety

holiday fire safety tips

Holiday Fire Safety Precautions that Will Keep Your Family Safe and Happy

The holiday season is a time for food, family, and fun festivities. From the months of November to January, nothing is more associated with the holidays than flickering lights, holiday cooking, and lush, winter evergreens.

Along with festive cheer, the holidays can bring a whole new set of fire threats to your family and home. According to the National Fire Protection Association, or the NFPA, one in every 32 household fires involving a Christmas tree within the United States, resulted in death. This holiday season, keep your family safe by adding a few precautions to your holiday routine.

Trimming the Tree

It takes approximately less than 30 seconds for a dry evergreen tree to be completely engulfed in flames. Paint solvent and turpentine, both extremely flammableholiday safety, are made from trees such as pine and spruce, which are often the trees used in homes for decoration. With a few simple precautions, you can keep your tree as safe as possible.

When picking your tree, be sure to choose a tree that is fresh, with a large, healthy trunk. The fresher the tree, the longer the tree will remain lush and less flammable. In order to keep your tree fresh and healthy, water it daily. A tree that is well-watered is more difficult to ignite.

When placing your tree, avoid placing it near space heaters or fireplaces. The closer to a heat source your tree is, the quicker it will dry out, turning your holiday tree into a fire hazard. If you’re looking for a secondary option to the classic, fresh tree, artificial trees are a flame-retardant alternative.

Be Careful of Candles

According to the NFPA, the top three days of the year for candle-related fires are Christmas day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. Candles are a frequent part of the holiday season, from Christmas candles to the Hanukkah menorah. By taking a few simple precautions, you can make your seasonal candles safe for your home.

When lighting a candle, be sure to keep the candle at least one foot away from any other object. Your candle should also have a sturdy base to prevent any chance of the candle tipping over. Finally, you should never leave your candles unattended. Before going to bed, extinguish all candles and be sure to check every room for any candle that may have been missed.

Holiday Cooking

There’s no larger hallmark of the holiday season than cooking and enjoying meals with your friends and family. However, cooking is one of the top household fire hazards. As of 2014, the three dates with the most cooking-related fires were Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

cooking fire safetyWhen cooking for the holidays, keep an eye on your food at all times. Burning your food can cause the food to dry and become extremely susceptible to flames. Cooking-related fires can easily become hard to manage grease-fires.

Before cooking this holiday season, be sure your kitchen is properly protected. Check that all the fire alarms in your kitchen are working properly with new batteries, and a fire extinguisher is present.

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, be sure to take the steps to protect your home and family this year. Fire protection doesn’t end after the holidays, so be sure to practice fire-safety year round. If tragedy strikes, CLEAR Restoration will be there to help you pick up the pieces. From structural clean-ups to restoring your home’s contents, CLEAR Restoration will walk with you every step of the way with fire-damage restoration.

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