It’s the holiday season again, and you want yours to be memorable for all the right reasons. One way to make sure your family enjoys this time of year as much as possible is by doing everything you can to reduce your risk of a house fire. Here are some important tips for lowering your fire risk at home during the holidays.
Be smart with your Christmas tree.
According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 160 home fires that started with Christmas trees every year from 2015 to 2019. Sadly, these fires caused an annual average of two deaths, 12 injuries, and $10 million in direct property damage. To help prevent this from happening to your family, you can:
- Buy a tree closer to Christmas day from a farm that allows you to watch it be freshly cut.
- Water your tree every day you use it, and promptly take it down once it dries out.
- Keep your tree away from direct heat sources like radiators, space heaters, and candles.
Use heat and candles with caution.
That last guideline is overlooked far too often, with tragic consequences. The NFPA reports in two out of every five decoration fire incidents, the decoration was too close to a heat source such as a candle or heating equipment. Candles cause 45% of the home decoration fires that fire departments respond to every December. The NFPA recommends you keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything flammable.
Put safety first with cooking and baking.
The NFPA states the three peak days for home cooking fires are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Christmas Eve. Whether holiday foods are cooking on the stove or in the oven, stay nearby and turn off the appliance immediately if anything begins to burn.
NFPA data also shows that cooking equipment was involved in one out of every five home decoration fires. To prevent this, keep decorative items, including kitchen towels, at least 12 inches away from cooking equipment and appliances.
Protect your home with fire detection.
In addition to having the required number of working smoke detectors in your home, you need a fire alert system that responds to a fire emergency and quickly gets help to your home. At Post Alarm, we own and operate our own UL-listed monitoring station; that’s where our locally-based agents dispatch fire and emergency services to your home the moment you need them. To get this protection for your home and family, call Post Alarm today. We’ll be glad to answer your questions.
About Post Alarm
To learn more about Southern California security technology, come see us at Post Alarm. Our highly qualified and experienced home security experts can answer all your questions. Call us today at 1-800-654-7678.