Tis The Season For Twelve Days Of Safety.

12/2/2021 (Permalink)

Tis the season – to celebrate safely!

This time of year isn’t just the time of year that we eat more than usual and gather with family and friends; it’s also when we see an increase in household accidents and fires. To help make sure your holidays don’t go from merry to scary, remember these Twelve Holiday Safety Tips. 

Twelve Holiday Safety Tips: 

1.  Keep your Christmas and other holiday decorations at least three feet away from any heat sources – especially those with an open flame, like fireplaces, heaters, and candles. Remember to extinguish your holiday candles whenever you leave the room or go to sleep. 
2. The best decorations are safe decorations, so when decorating, make sure you never run cords under rugs or furniture, out of windows, or across walkways or sidewalks.Only use outdoor and indoor lights as indicated on their packaging.
3. Natural Christmas trees are beautiful and bring extra holiday magic into your home. However, real trees can dry up and turn into kindling in no time at all, be sure to water it frequently to keep it fresh and safe. If you use a real tree, get rid of the tree after Christmas. Dried-out trees are a fire hazard, do not leave them in your home or garage. 
4. Always turn off your lights and decorations when you leave your home and when you’re sleeping. The most deadly fires happen while people are asleep. 
5. Be mindful of how you are using your electrical outlets. If you’re using extension cords or adapters that add receptacles, consider having a qualified electrician add more outlets to your home. Never plug multiple extension cords together, and always use a polarized or three-pronged extension cord rated to handle the electrical current your devices need. 
6. Never leave cooking or baking unattended. Always stay in the kitchen even if you are baking or roasting-and set a timer to remind yourself to check on cooking food. 
7. Remember that your phones and tablets should stay on your nightstand, not in your bed under pillows and blankets. We all love falling asleep to the muffled crooning of Bing Crosby and Michael Bublé, but overheated electronics are dangerous.
8. Check all your smoke alarms to make sure they still work or if your alarms need new batteries. Install a working smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside every sleeping area, and on every level of your home, including the basement if you have one. 
9. If you’re using a space heater, always turn it off before leaving the room. It only takes seconds for a fire to start if a space heater tips over or comes in contact with a blanket or curtains.
10. Inspect your decorations and discard any that are damaged or worn out. Safely discard frayed light strands, broken ornaments, or worn-out decorations that no longer work properly. 
11. Keep batteries stored safely in their packaging and out of reach of anything that might try to eat them, like small children and pets. Eating a battery can be deadly. 
12. Never share holiday or travel plans on social media. Do not put your travel plans or pictures on social media until you return home. You could be unintentionally inviting thieves into your home while you are away.