Fireplace, Candle and Christmas Light Safety for the Holidays

As I sit at home working, I look around my home that has been decorated for Christmas early, due to Pandemic, and notice our decorated fireplace with beautiful candles and a million Christmas lights and it brings me joy. While the days get shorter and colder, these items become our comfort and warmth but too often these things can turn into heartbreak and lose. So, during the Holiday Season SASA would like to provide a few safety tips to keep you and your family safe.

Fireplace
• Annual Chimney Inspection to inspect for animals, blockages etc.…
• Use dry and well-aged wood. Creates less smoke and burns evenly.
• Clean out ashes from previous fires as the levels at the base should be kept to about 1 inch.
• Never leave children unattended by the fire. Minimize your child’s chance of burns by having or installing a Safety Screen.
• Put fireplace tools and accessories including matches and lighters out of a young child’s reach.
• If you have a gas fireplace, add a Home Automation with a motorized cut-off valve. In case of fire, the cut-off valve will cut-off the gas to the entire house.
• Make sure the area around the fireplace is clear of anything that is potentially flammable such as carpets, furniture etc.…
• Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Make sure it is completely out before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Install both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Test them regularly and change the batteries at least once a year.
• Keep a fire extinguisher on hand.
• Talk with children as early as possible the dangers of fires and the heat coming from them.

Candles
• Follow the directions printed on the candles label
• Remember that trim the candle wicks before use and every few hours of use to avoid high flames.
• Avoid buying candles with multiple wicks that are close together.
• Avoid wooden or plastic or glass holders, as these can catch fire or shatter.
• Keep burning candles away from materials that can catch fire. If your clothes catch fire, “Stop, Drop and Roll.”
• Keep burning candles out of reach of children and pets.
• Do not leave candles burning with no one in the room. Extinguish all candles before you go to sleep.
• Teach your children to be careful around open flames. Make sure they understand that candles are not toys, or something they can eat or drink.

Christmas Lights
• Check your lights every year and replace old and damaged lights.
• Switching to LED lights saves money, and the bulbs are cool to the touch.
• No more then 3 plugs into a single extension cord, I believe that is the rule.
• Keep your Christmas Tree hydrated, as a dry tree is flammable.
• Remember: Indoor lights for indoors and outdoor lights for outdoors.
• When installing outdoor lights, two people are better then one. Ladder safety and roof safety come into play.

Have a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!

Categorised in: Security

This post was written by Mark.K