Holiday Fire Safety

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! We want to help you keep it wonderful by giving you some holiday fire safety tips.

Did You Know?

• Winter holiday fires claim over 500 lives each year
• $554 million in property damage is caused by holiday fires

What causes these damages?

As you are entertaining and enjoying the sights and smells of the season, you are more likely to burn scented candles this time of year. Also, increased fireplace usage (if you have one) is another factor. It is wonderful to enjoy the comfy feeling fireplaces and candles can give you, but just keep these safety tips in mind:

• Don’t leave a room when a candle is burning! Fire incidents caused by candles go up 4x’s more than normal during the holidays
• Don’t burn debris in your fireplace. While it may seem convenient to burn wrapping paper, garbage, or other debris in your fireplace, these types of fires can get out of control quickly.
• Do a safety check on your space heater. It can get a little chilly here in Vero sometimes and some residents might not have central heat! If you decide to use a space heater, make sure there is no damage to the cord and it is functioning properly before using it for long periods of time.
• Do a smoke detector check. According to the National Fire Protection Association, the death rate due to a fire in the home is twice as high when the smoke detectors aren’t working.

Here are Some More Holiday Fire Safety Tips:

Christmas Tree Fire Safety

Basic holiday fire safety is not something to take for granted! Consider these tips:

• Pick the right live Christmas tree. When shopping, make sure the needles don’t break easily, and when the tree is shaken, it doesn’t shed a lot of needles. These are two signs that you do not have a fresh Christmas tree and it will more easily catch fire.
• Make sure you keep your live Christmas tree watered. Dry Christmas trees are a big fire hazard and will catch fire very easily.
• Don’t place your Christmas tree near a fireplace! Embers can jump from a fireplace and catch your tree on fire.
• Never put real candles on your Christmas tree as decorations. Especially if you have a dry Christmas tree, this presents a significant fire hazard. Keep lit candle displays more than 3 feet away from the tree.
• Don’t block exit routes with your Christmas tree. In case of emergency, you don’t want to be negotiating to get around the Christmas tree.
• Inspect Christmas light strands. Make sure there are no frayed wires or other damage to your Christmas lights.
• Connect Christmas light strands safely. Don’t daisy chain more than 3 light strands together at one time!
• Buy flame-resistant decorations. If you are shopping for new ornaments, consider purchasing non-combustible or flame-resistant ones!
• Never run an extension cord under your rugs. If there happens to be an issue with the extension cord, it can quickly catch the rug on fire!
• Turn the Christmas lights off when you leave. Don’t leave your decorative lights on when you leave the house. If something goes wrong, you won’t be home to react!

Outdoor Holiday Decoration Fire Safety

While keeping safety in mind indoors, you don’t want to forget outdoors! Consider these outdoor holiday fire safety tips:

• Make sure you use outdoor extension cords for outdoor use. The packaging should indicate if the extension cord is rated for outdoor use. You don’t want to cause an electrical short with an indoor extension cord that is not water-resistant!
• Fasten Christmas lights securely to your home, bushes, porch, gutters, etc. If the Christmas lights start sustaining damage from being blown around by the wind, it might cause them damage which will make them not fire safe.
• Use a surge protector or GFCI outlet to plug lights into. Again, electrical shorts or sparks from being exposed to water can quickly cause a fire!

Sometimes, things happen. If, despite all your best efforts, you do experience fire damage… rest assured we are here 24/7/365 to respond to your fire emergency. Our certified technicians are experienced in fire damage restoration and we will customize a fire clean-up and remediation plan for your specific situation. Call us anytime at 772-567-4435.