Fire Safety During the Holidays

[Rhett N. Cochran]

With the holiday season barreling down upon us, it occurred to me that this would be a perfect time to bring up fire safety. While residential fires increase steadily as the temperature falls, the three-day period of December 24-26 is a particularly dangerous period from a home fire standpoint. According to the United States Fire Administration fire deaths, injuries, and dollar loss increase an average of 50%, 61%, and 43%, respectively. But the risk throughout the holiday season is very real and grows the closer we get to New Year's Day. Much of this can be attributed to natural Christmas trees which are drying out.

But did you know that Thanksgiving is also a major hot bed (pun intended) for fires? The incidence of residential fires increases on Thanksgiving Day - 42% of these fires are caused by cooking and food left unattended. Deep Frying a turkey has also shown to be a major cause of these fires. Somewhat surprisingly, there was a 37% drop over the average day's total in the number of injuries suffered from a fire on Thanksgiving. This is probably because many of these fires are happening during daylight hours as opposed to when most people are asleep.

The first thing to do to help protect you, your loved ones, and your home from the danger of fire is to make sure you have working smoke alarms.

How old is your smoke detector? The National Fire Protection Association recommends that smoke detectors be replaced every 10 years. Older smoke detectors are susceptible to normal wear and tear and build up of dust and other contaminants which could impede the free flow of air needed for a smoke detector to do its job.

Did you change your smoke detector batteries when the time changed? If you have the type that are hardwired into the home, they may require other maintenance.

Fire Prevention Tips
* Do not leave food unattended when cooking.
* Use electrical items (such as Christmas lights or other holiday decorations) that are UL listed and in good
condition. At work, check with your building manager to ensure electrical circuits will not be overloaded.
* Never place lights on a metallic tree or metal furniture such as a file cabinet.
* Always unplug the lights before leaving home or going to sleep.
* Never use candles to decorate a tree.
* At home, use extreme caution when burning candles. Be sure they are placed in sturdy, non-combustible holders,
and are kept well away from decorations and other combustible materials. Check candles frequently to make sure
they don't burn down too far or drip hot wax. Don't leave children unattended in a room with lit candles.
* Holiday decorations should be made with flame-retardant or non-combustible materials.
* Make sure your holiday tree is at least 3 feet from any heat source and placed so that it doesn't block an exit.
* If purchasing an artificial tree, be sure it is labeled as fire-retardant.
* Should your workplace decide on a Christmas tree, check with fire or safety representatives to determine if it's
permissible. If so, an artificial tree with a fire retardant/flame resistive certification by the manufacturer is
recommended.

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Holiday Tree Safety
If you choose to use a natural cut trees, remember these critical points:
* Make sure it is fresh.
* Natural cut trees should be end-cut at an angle to help absorb water, placed in a suitable stand with adequate
water. The water level should be checked daily and the tree removed upon evidence of dryness.
* Natural cut trees should not be permitted in assembly occupancies unless the building is fully covered by a
sprinkler system.
* They should not obstruct any corridor, exit way, or other means of egress.
* They should not be located near heating vents or other fixed or portable heating devices that could cause the tree
to dry out prematurely or to be ignited.
* Be aware that a dry tree is a serious fire hazard. If ignited, it will burn very quickly and with intense heat. Spraying
or "flocking" a tree does not make it fire-resistive, so be careful. If your tree begins dropping needles, be sure to
dispose of it safely. Dried-out trees are very dangerous.

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Be Safe Not Sorry
* Holiday wrappings should be removed from the immediate area and discarded in a safe manner.
* As you are cleaning in preparation for your holiday decorating, take the opportunity to vacuum out the interior of
your smoke detector. And don't forget to test your smoke detector monthly and make sure it has fresh batteries.
* Use care when disposing of smoking materials. Cigarette butts can smolder if not completely doused in water
before disposal. The same is true of fireplace ashes, which can smolder for up to two weeks after a fire.

For your convenience, you can follow this link to a helpful printout to guide you this holiday season.

No matter how you celebrate the holidays, let's make sure we're all around for 2009!