Everyone should enjoy a Christmas filled with warmth and light – but not too much.
The only fire you want to remember the season by is the one in your fireplace, rather than one that’s burned all your stuff and left you and your family out on the street, if you’re lucky to escape it.
With the cold weather upon us, we tend to use more plug-in heaters, extension cords, candles and such. They all represent an increased risk of fire.
The Surrey Fire Service offered some important holiday fire safety tips. As with any other time of the year, working smoke alarms should always be installed, with fresh batteries, on every floor of your home.
You should also have a home escape plan, and practise it regularly.
If a fire starts in your home, chances are good it’ll be in the kitchen. In fact, three in 10 reported home fires start there. Keep a fire extinguisher handy.
If people smoke in your home, provide them with large, deep ashtrays that won’t tip over. Empty the trays often and wet the ashes and cigarette butts before dumping them out. After parties, check furniture and under cushions for smouldering butts.
Any decorative lights you use should have CSA approval, or the equivalent, and cracked or frayed cords shouldn’t be used. Larger lights tend to get hotter than small ones and all lights should be turned off before you leave home or go to bed.
Some more tips:
* don’t use lights on a metal tree
* use candle holders that don’t tip
* never leave candles unattended and always keep them away from other stuff that burns
For those who prefer to set up a real tree rather than an artificial one, install it securely, well away from fireplaces, other heat sources, and exits. Make sure your tree has a constant supply of water and remove it from your home before it dries out.
Everyone should have their heating system inspected each year, chimneys included. Space heaters should be kept at least three feet from anything that can burn. Fireplace fires should always be small and behind a screen to catch flying sparks.
