Top Ten Fire Safety Tips for the Holidays

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Eve, and Christmas Eve.* But cooking is not the only cause of holiday fires. Trees, decorations, and candles are also on the list. To make sure your household is safe during this joyous time of year, here is our list of top ten home fire safety tips for the holidays.

1. Remember these fire safety precautions while cooking your holiday meal.

• Stay in the kitchen when cooking food.
• If you must leave the room, turn off the stove.
• Have a safety zone and keep children and pets three feet away from the stove and oven.
• Have a dry chemical fire extinguisher nearby.
• Never use water to extinguish a grease fire.
• Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking. 
• Keep anything that can catch fire — holiday decorations, oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, or curtains — away from your stovetop.

2. If you have a cooking fire, do this.

Get out of the house and close the door behind you to help contain the fire. Call 911 or the local emergency number after you leave. If you try to fight the fire, be sure that others are getting out and you have a clear way out yourself. Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

3. Be mindful when using candles.

Everyone loves a good holiday-scented candle to set the mood during this festive time of year. The problem is, candles can be hazardous if not handled properly. Three of every five (60%) candle fires started when something that could burn, such as furniture, mattresses or bedding, curtains, or decorations, was too close to the candle.* Remember not to leave candles in an unoccupied room, keep them away from flammable objects, and extinguish them when you finish using them. NEVER forget to extinguish them before going to bed!

4. Practice these proper fireplace safety rules.

• Make sure the flue is open before lighting a fire, and never close the flue while a fire is still smoldering.
• Use a fireplace screen to prevent any sparks from reaching out and igniting nearby objects. 
• Never use gasoline or lighter fluid to start a fire. Burn only dry, seasoned wood and dispose of the cooled ashes in a closed metal container outside and away from your home. 
• Never leave a fire burning unattended in the fireplace. And clean those chimneys!

5. Make sure your Christmas tree is up to snuff.

When picking out a live Christmas tree, choose a tree as fresh as possible, with needles that are flexible and hard to pull off the branch. The tree trunk should be sticky to the touch. A tree with needles that fall off easily when bounced has been cut long ago and is probably dried out: this kind of tree is a fire hazard.

Remember to distribute electrical lighting correctly. Too much lighting on a tree could be a hazard. Electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in almost half (45%) of home Christmas tree fires.* Also, keep any heat sources such as candles or heating equipment away from the tree.  

6. Choose proper holiday lighting.

Speaking of electrical lighting, buy lights with a label from a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and use the lights according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Use replacement bulbs with the correct wattage and replace light sets and extension cords that are worn or cracked.

7. Write a list of emergency contact numbers.

Keep a list of emergency fire, police and medical phone numbers handy. You can also program these numbers into your cell phones in case you have to leave the house before placing the call. Teach children how to call for help in case of an emergency.

8. Make sure your smoke and heat sensors are working correctly.

Check all smoke detectors to make sure they’re working properly and that batteries have full power. There should be at least one smoke detector on each floor of your house, although modern building codes often require more. You would be surprised at how many smoke detectors are non-functioning – and you don’t want to find out the hard way. If you need more smoke and heat sensors, buy them! You can never have too many.

9. Get monitored fire protection.

Of course, the best smoke detectors are the ones connected to your alarm system – but sadly, most are only standalone “noisemakers.” Why monitored? When you’re away, it’s good to know that a fire will be detected as quickly as possible and the fire department sent to your home. Plus, if your monitored smoke and heat sensor is sending help for you, you can focus on getting you and your family out of the house to safety. It’s also reassuring to know that if you are at home and overcome by smoke, help will still be on the way.

10. Have a fire escape plan and practice it with your family.

All families should have a home fire escape plan, but many families who do have one seldom practice it. There should be two ways out of the home, and once family members reach the agreed meeting place outside, there is no going back inside. Also, keep escape ladders in spots that you may need one and make sure every household member knows where they are in case of an emergency.

You may have fire safety tips of your own, and we welcome you to post a comment below if we didn’t mention it! As we’ve said before, your safety and peace of mind are our primary concerns at Frontpoint. Have a very happy and safe holiday season!

*Source: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Seasonal-fire-causes/Winter-holidays/Holiday-fires-by-the-numbers