07/12/2020
Property loss during a holiday fire is 34% ... You can help reduce the risk of fire and keep your home safer this holiday ..
Be Fire Smart While Decking the Halls
Festive decorations, twinkle lights, and fragrant candles can add to the ambiance of the holiday season. But they can also increase your risk of a fire. Pay attention to these tips as you decorate your home or business for the holidays:
HOLIDAY LIGHTS
• Only use indoor/outdoor lights that have been tested by a recognized safety testing laboratory.
• Inspect your old lights every year. Throw out strings that have frayed or exposed wires, broken sockets, or loose connections.
• When putting up lights outside, make sure they’re approved for outdoor use, so they’ll withstand winter weather conditions. Also, avoid using nails or staples to attach the lights. These can damage the wiring and increase your risk of fire.
• Don’t plug more than 3 strings of lights into each other. This can overload them and cause a fire. Use a power strip instead.
• Plug all outdoor lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Also, don’t overload your indoor or outdoor electrical outlets either.
• Turn off all lights while you’re away or asleep.
HOLIDAY DECORATIONS AND CANDLES
• Use only nonflammable or flame-resistant holiday decorations to trim your tree, home, or business.
• Keep all holiday decorations – especially live garlands and other greenery – at least 3 feet away from heat sources.
• Set candles in a sturdy base to keep them from being knocked over. Place lit candles out of reach from small children or pets.
• Reduce the risk of potential fires by keeping candles at least a foot away from anything flammable. Better yet, cover them with a hurricane globe.
• Never leave candles unattended. Make sure all candles are blown out before you leave for the night or go to bed.
• Instead of traditional candles, consider using electric or battery-operated flameless candles instead.
Consider Other Fire Safety Protection Needs
In addition to the above holiday fire safety tips, as a home or business owner, you have other fire safety considerations to remember as well.
In your home, you need to ensure your smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are working properly. Each month, you should inspect your fire extinguishers to ensure they’re ready for use. You should inspect the seals, look for damage, and check that the pressure is within the correct range. Refill or replace fire extinguishers as needed. Annually, you should change the batteries in residential smoke detectors.
If you maintain a business, you also need to ensure your smoke detectors, fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, and fire extinguishers are inspected and maintained regularly. Depending on the system, components may need to be inspected weekly, monthly, semiannually, and/or annually, depending upon National Fire Protection Association schedules. These systems must be inspected by a qualified contractor.
