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Safe for the Season

Fire hazards abound during the holidays. Find out how to keep your home and family safe and warm.

 

Twinkling lights, glowing candles and crackling fires are synonymous with the holidays. Unfortunately, they can also cause a serious, and potentially fatal, fire. But does that mean that you need to blow out your candles, unplug your Christmas tree and close the damper on the fireplace?

 

Chris Slosser, Acting Program Specialist for the Public Fire Safety Coun­cil, says the holidays can still be bright and festive with the following safety tips:

Christmas Trees

The Christmas tree takes centre stage in most homes at Christmas, but it can also be a major fire hazard. Slosser suggests the first step is to start with a freshly cut tree and to keep it standing in two to three litres of water at all times. He also advises that trees should be kept away from heat sources such as fireplaces and radiators. Slosser offers the following holiday tips to safely decorate your tree:

1. A staple of holiday décor since they were invented in the late 1800s, Christmas tree lights can be a fire hazard if not used properly. Before you wrap them around your tree, check that all of the lights are in good working order and that the cords are not frayed or worn out. Make sure that lights are approved by a safety regulating board, such as the CSA.
2. Don’t overload your outlets. Think about plugging your light strings into a power bar or extension cord, which can then be plugged into the outlet.
3. Don’t hang ornaments directly against the lights.
4. Turn off all lights when you leave the house and go to bed.
5. Never ever burn real candles as a decoration on your tree. This Old World tradition is still practiced by many families and can quickly lead to a devastating fire.

Candles

They cast a warm, inviting glow, and leave a lingering scent of vanilla or spices. Yet candles are one of the leading causes of home fires in Canada. In Ontario alone, between 2000 and 2004, 277 prevent­able home fires were caused by candles.

 

Whether you use tea lights or decorative pillars, there are ways to keep candles burn­ing safely:

 

1. Keep candles away from holiday garland, indoor Christmas trees, drapes, couches and other combustible items. Never use lit candles as decoration for your tree.
2. Keep candles in a secure, level spot where they can’t easily be knocked over by a busy hostess, a small child or a roaming pet.
3. If possible, place a glass chimney around the candle to keep it from falling over. Even a breeze from an open window can blow over a burning candle.
4. Never leave candles unattended. “A lot of candle fires are started because people forget to blow them out before leaving a room or going to bed,” says Slosser.

 

Fireplaces

While most of us won’t actually roast chestnuts over our fireplace, we do love to cozy up to the warmth of a log-burning fire. To make sure that your fireplace is safe, Slosser suggests making sure you have a good screen, and that you keep the hearth area clear of newpapers and combustible items like drapes and furniture. As with any other open flame, never leave a lit fireplace unattended.

 

Holiday Safety Wish List

1. Smoke detectors: In Ontario, homes are required to have smoke detectors on every level and outside of all sleeping areas. Be sure to test your alarms once a month and change the battery annually.
2. Carbon monoxide detector: Make sure that you purchase a carbon monoxide detector that has been certified to the Canadian Standards Association CAN/CGTA 6.19 standard. Carbon monoxide detectors can be on any level of the home, says Slosser, but are best positioned near sleeping areas so that they can be heard if they sound at night. He also suggests keeping them up off the floor so that children are not able to tamper with them.
3. A family escape plan: Every family should develop a safety plan on what to do in case of a fire. Work with your family to develop escape routes, as well as a meeting point outside of the house. Review the plan often, making sure that young children and older family members understand and can execute the plan.
4. Fire extinguisher: While Slosser stresses fire prevention, he does see fire extin­guishers as a helpful tool in case of a small fire. A variety of sizes are available, and can be placed where a fire may be started, like the kitchen or workroom.

 

• The odds of winning a million dollar lottery: 1 in 14 million
• The odds of getting hit by lightning: 1 in 1 million
• The odds of a preventable fire in your home resulting in property loss or injury: 1 in 700

 

 

Excerpted from Safety Mosaic, Volume 9, No. 4, Winter 2006

 

 

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