Christmas Fire Safety Tips

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Historically, home fires, deaths and injuries have been reported to occur more frequently in the months of December and January than any other time of the year. This is attributed to the fact that many of these fires start because of holiday decorations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that an average of 240 house fires a year are started because of Christmas trees, and approximately 1,300 are attributed to candles, lights and other seasonal decorations. According to the NFPA, about one in fifteen of these fires are fatal.

To help prevent tragic holiday fires, the NFPA and fire departments throughout the United States remind the public about safety precautions they should take when decorating. Because they have caused so many fires, Christmas trees, both real and artificial, are of particular concern. Live Christmas trees should be kept fresh, as this significantly reduces their risk of igniting. Before putting the tree in its stand, consumers should cut 1 to 2" off of the base of the trunk, and once it is in the stand, the tree should be watered daily. As soon as the needles begin to fall off of the tree, it should be discarded, as this is a sign that it is no longer fresh. Artificial trees must be marked by their manufacturer as fire retardant. In placing the Christmas tree, it should be at least three feet away from all heat sources, such as candles, fireplaces, heaters and lights, and it should be positioned so that it does not block any exits.

Lights are another source of holiday fires, and they should be carefully examined before decorating with them in order to prevent electrical shock or fire. According to Ontario Fire Safety Specialist Michelle Starkey, "Before using Christmas lights on your tree or anywhere else you're going to put them…go through and look at the cords. Make sure there are no frayed wires or missing light bulbs because those are huge fire hazards." Starkey also advises that people should avoid overloading their electrical outlets by connecting too many power strips, surge protectors, and light strands. A maximum of one power strip plugged into an outlet with three strands of miniature lights is all that fire safety professionals advise consumers to use when decorating with lights, and in cases where they are of the screw-in variety, a maximum of 50 bulbs per outlet is recommended. All lights should have a Underwriters Laboratory (UL) tag and should signify whether they are for indoor or outdoor use. Non-rated lights should not be used.

Having caused 71% of holiday decorating fires, candles are another source of concern. Michelle Starkey advises that home and business owners use battery operated candles instead of live flame. However, if a person chooses to use regular candles they should follow basic safety tips, such as positioning them away from combustible materials like paper, bedding, curtains, and furniture. Keeping children and pets away from lit candles, and extinguishing them before leaving a room or going to bed are also important safety practices.

For additional holiday decorating safety tips, please visit www.nfpa.org. Safety tips for the holidays and throughout the year can also be found at http://www.safetyresource.org/firesafety.html .

To watch another holiday safety video, click here.