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Holiday Celebration Should Begin with Safety in the Home - 2008-11-23 |
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Trees and Decorations Cause 200 Home Fires Each Year
With the holidays rapidly approaching, many of us will be heading to the corner lot or the farmers market to buy an evergreen tree for the season. And now is the right time to make sure we follow a few simple guidelines to avoid a potential fire hazard in the home.
This year some 33 million American households will include a cut tree in their home decorations. And the single most important piece of advice will likely come from the tree salesman himself: "Keep it watered!"
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Christmas trees account for around 200 home fires annually, resulting in 6 deaths, 25 injuries, and more than $6 million in property damage.
Here are some tips from the Consumer Product Safety Commission that can help keep your home safe between now and the new year:
* Consider avoiding the problem of a dry tree altogether by buying an artificial tree. Make sure it is marked "fire resistant." This doesn't mean that the tree can not catch fire. It just means that this tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
* If you do purchase a cut tree, be sure to pick the freshest tree you can find. Fresh needles do not shower from the tree when the tree is tapped on its trunk. And fresher trees are bright green with needles resilient to bending.
* When selecting a location for your tree, be sure place it away from fireplaces and furnace registers. A flow of warm dry air near the tree will dry it out quickly.
* Also, locate the tree so that it is out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.
Finally, the number one rule when having a live tree in your home is to keep it moist. A fresh green tree is much less of a fire hazard because, in most cases, it will not ignite on its own.
One way you can help the tree to stay fresh is to saw off a couple inches from the trunk when you purchase it. That fresh cut allows the tree to more easily absorb water through the base. And don't forget to add fresh water daily as needed to keep the base of the trunk
immersed.
Here are some additional holiday safety tips:
* Even a well watered tree should be taken down after four weeks. So if you decorate your tree this week, it should come down right after Christmas.
* Candles can be beautiful, but they represent an active flame and can easily pose a real danger when placed near your tree. Keep candles and all heat sources well away from your tree.
* Be sure to extinguish all candles when leaving the room, and especially when going to bed. And make sure twinkling light sources are not in a position to tempt children to reach for them.
Many families save money using space heaters to warm certain parts of the house instead of keeping all areas the same temperature, and that strategy can save energy. But remember that the space heater should be located well away from your tree and any other potential fuel source.
Also, it is wise to turn a space heater off when you leave the room, restarting it when you return.
And now, regarding lighting for your tree:
* Whether indoors or outside, use only lights that have been certified by an independent testing laboratory, such as UL. Indoor-use only light strings are marked with UL's green holographic label; indoor or outdoor-use light strings are marked with UL's red holographic label.
* Hand check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections, and throw out damaged sets. And use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.
* Never cover an extension cord with a rug or a tree apron, as it can overheat and become a fire hazard. Likewise, if an extension cord or outlet cover feels warm or hot, it is overloaded. In safe use, electrical connections should remain cool to the touch.
Finally, perhaps your best idea for a Christmas gift - the smoke alarm.
By providing an early warning in the event of fire, smoke alarms can allow you and your family additional time to reach safety. Many homeowners have neglected to install smoke alarms despite their life-saving potential and low cost - I saw UL listed alarms on sale last week for under five dollars.
Even those who do have smoke alarms often forget to replace the battery at least once a year. Remember that a smoke alarm without power is the same as no alarm at all.
All of us who have a roof over our heads and a warm place to live should give thanks for our many blessings. Keeping your home safe is a great way to show you care. This week is a great time to check all your smoke alarms for proper operation.
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