Fire safety bears special consideration during the holiday season, when the prevalence of fi re hazards like Christmas trees, holiday lighting displays and other decorative items increase
the risk for home fi res. Metro Creative Connection
Safety might not be the
fi rst thing people think
of as the holiday season
approaches. Faith, celebrations,
decorations, and
holiday dinners all come
to mind when considering
the holiday season. But that
doesn’t mean safety should
be left out of holiday planning.
Fire safety bears special
consideration during
the holiday season, when
the prevalence of fi re hazards
like Christmas trees,
holiday lighting displays
and other decorative items
increase the risk for home
fi res. Such tragedies can be
averted with a few simple
safety measures.
• Tend to your tree. Live
Christmas trees are awe-inspiring,
COURIER LIFE, N 20 OVEMBER 12-18, 2021
but they also pose a
signifi cant fi re risk. The National
Fire Protection Association
urges celebrants
to purchase only healthy
trees with fresh, green needles
that do not fall off when
touched. Such trees are less
likely to dry out, especially
when well-watered throughout
the season. Dry trees
can catch fi re more easily
than healthy trees if embers
from nearby fi replaces or
candles drift in their direction.
• Recognize that location
matters when decorating.
The NFPA notes that Christmas
trees should always
be placed at least three feet
away from any heat source,
including fi replaces, space
heaters, heat vents, candles,
and even overhead lights.
If decorating with candles,
never place them on the tree
or on tables where other
fl ammable decorations have
already been placed. Chanukah
menorahs should never
be placed near curtains or
other decorations.
• Turn off all lights and
extinguish all lit decorative
items when leaving
the home or going to bed.
Lit candles and menorahs
should never be left unattended.
The NFPA recommends
turning tree lights
and exterior decorative
lights off when leaving the
home or going to bed.
• Utilize a fi re screen
on fi replaces. Embers can
catch on trees, decorations
or anything else that’s fl ammable
if they escape the
fi replace. Fire screens prevent
that from happening
by ensuring embers from
burning logs stay in the
fi replace. Like candles and
menorahs, fi res burning in
a fi replace should never be
left unattended. Make sure
all embers have been extinguished
before leaving the
home or going to bed.
• Keep discarded trees
away from your home. A
2014 analysis from the NFPA
found that none of the ten
days with the largest share
of Christmas tree fi res were
before Christmas. Dried out
trees still pose a fi re risk
even after they’ve been removed
from a home. When
discarding a tree at the end
of the holiday season, place
it at the curb or keep it a safe
distance away from your
home and garage until you
can.
Fire safety measures are
an important component of
the holiday season that can
prevent this joyous time of
year from turning tragic.
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How to reduce the risk of
home fi res this holiday season