Holidays are a time for celebration, decorations, cozy fires in the fireplace, and extra goodies baking in the oven, all of which can bring additional risks. Each year during the holiday season fires injure more than 2,000 people in the U.S. and cause over an estimated $900 million dollars in damage. By following these holiday safety tips you can help keep your family and home fire safe this holiday season.
Eric Fairbanks with Utah Disaster Kleenup provides holiday safety tips to keep your family and home safe.
Christmas Trees
* Do not set your tree up near a heat source such as a radiator, television, fireplace, heating duct or sunny window. Do not block doors or windows.
Tree Lights and Decorations
* Check for and discard frayed, broken and exposed wires
* Replace any damaged or burnt-out lights with energy efficient light bulbs
* Use the proper lights for the environment. Indoor light strings/sets should not be used outdoors because they lack weatherproof connections. Some outdoor light strings/sets burn too hot indoors.
* Use caution with decorations – use flame-retardant, noncombustible, nonconductive decorations
* Remember turn off all tree or display lights before leaving the house or going to bed
Candles
* Place candles away from anything that could catch fire
* Never leave burning candles unattended
* Put candles in sturdy holders on a stable surface, well away from drafts, curtains, children and pets
* Snuff them out before leaving the room or going to sleep
The Fireplace
* Never burn gift wrappings, boxes, cartons, or other types of packing in the fireplace. They burn too rapidly and generate too much heat.
* Always use a screen in front of the fireplace to protect against flying sparks
* Never use gasoline or any other flammable liquids to start a fire
* Never leave the fire unattended or let it smolder
* Clean the ashes regularly. Place the ashes in a metal container and store outside away from flammable materials.
* Don’t use Christmas trees for firewood
Heating Appliances
* During the holiday season, furniture often gets rearranged. Make sure heating appliances have enough space – keep portable heaters at least one meter from anything that can burn.
* Don’t let combustible material get close to these sources of ignition
The Kitchen
* When doing your holiday cooking, NEVER leave the kitchen unattended
* Prevent a fire from occurring… turn off the stove when you leave the kitchen, even if it is only for a few minutes
* Grease fires are a leading cause of home fires. Be extra careful when doing this kind of cooking around the holidays
Utah Disaster Kleenup’s peers and service communities recognize UDK as one of the country’s most experienced and respected restoration contractors. They have been in continuous operation and under the same ownership since 1974. Their specialty is 24/7 emergency mitigation services in response to properties damaged by water, fire or other destructive forces.
UDK’s emergency response teams can restore virtually every kind of structure including residential, high-rise, multi-housing, commercial and industrial.
Over the past 31 years UDK has become recognized as the largest and most capable restoration contractor serving the communities along the Wasatch Front and surrounding communities. They’ve done this by continuously reinvesting in the highest quality technology, training and specialty equipment that gets our jobs done quickly, precisely at the most cost effective means possible.
For more information on Utah Disaster Kleenup, check out their website at www.utdk.com or call (888) UTAH-UDK
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