Holiday Fire Safety tips

12/13/2016 (Permalink)

Easy Holiday Safety tips

It is that time of year again, everyone! During this time of the year, there are carolers singing, egg nog, bright lights, tasty food, chilly weather, and shopping for presents. With all these fun and festive things going on, it is easy to forget some of the easiest ways to prevent fire accidents. Surprisingly, statistics show that residential fires are more costly and property loss is 34% greater during the holidays rather than any other time of the year.  As a gift from your local neighborhood SERVPRO, here are a few tips to make sure your holiday is the merriest and safest it can be.

Kitchen

• Keep a multi-grade fire extinguisher handy for a variety of fires.
• Check the smoke detectors for operable batteries.
• If you are going to deep fry your turkey, make sure it is on a flat surface and at least 10 feet away outside from your home.
• If you are multitasking while you are cooking, make sure you have a cooking utensil in hand to remind you that something is on the stove.

Candles

• Maintain at least a foot between the candle and anything flammable in all directions.
• Before going to bed, make sure all candles are put out and never leave a flame unattended. However, if you prefer a low light setting, rather than use candles, switch to LED powered candles. 

Christmas trees

• Try to purchase a fresh cut tree with one that has all of its pine needles intact.
• Purchase a tree base that has room for you to water your tree every day.
• Watered trees will last longer and will typically dry out after 4 weeks.
• Remember to take your tree out as soon as possible after the holidays to prevent unwanted accidents. Dry trees are the easiest to catch on fire.

Decorative Lights

• Inspect light strings for cracks and/or fraying.
• Inspect light sockets for broken and exposed filaments.
• Do not run three strings from end to end, but instead, stack them because it is safer.
• Do not use nails or staples to hang your lights. Instead, use UL-Rated clips and hangers.
• Take lights down after the holidays to prevent squirrels from chewing on your cables and environmental damage.

The Fireplace

• Have your chimney inspected for collected soot that hardens after every use of your fireplace. If it needs to be cleaned, do so before you use it. 
• Do not start a fire for your fireplace with wrapping paper or liquids; only use seasonal firewood.
• Set a screen in front of your fireplace to prevent the embers from your cozy fire does not damage or spark a fire to your items such as a rug or other flammables.
• Set extinguished embers in a metal container outside for at least 24 hours before throwing away.

If you have any questions, concerns, you may contact us at 1 (650) 800-3448.

Most importantly, we are available for emergency services of any accidents or inconvenient mishaps 24/7.

From our family here at SERVPRO of Palo Alto to yours, we wish you a safe happy holidays!