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The holidays can be a major source of fire hazards. 156,000 fires occur during the holiday season in the U.S., according to the Federal Emergency Management Administration. Increased strain on appliances, overloaded electrical circuits, and open flames indoors can all lead to house fires. Here’s how to prevent the most common causes of holiday house fires while celebrating safely this season.
Check your cords
Damaged cords on lights or damaged extension cords for decorations, electric blankets, and other appliances can all pose a fire risk. An electrical fault or short occurs when electricity travels in an unplanned way, either through wiring or another conductive material. Checking all of your lights and decorations as well as power strips and extension cords for bare wires, discoloration, or other damage before using them this holiday season can prevent fires as well as accidental electric shock. If you find bare wires or heat damage, take the affected item out of commission to reduce the risk of fire.
Avoid overloading your circuits
Overloaded household circuits can cause electrical shorts that lead to fires. You can minimize the risk of electrical fires by reading the manufacturer's instructions on your Christmas lights to determine how many can safely be plugged into one outlet. In addition to determining the number of light strands you can plug into one outlet, take a look at the circuit map on the inside of your circuit breaker box to determine which outlets are connected to the same circuit. Once you can see which outlets are connected to the same circuit, you can avoid plugging too many lights or appliances into that circuit, even if the outlets are separate, by calculating the total number of amps you’re drawing from each item plugged into the circuit and making sure it doesn’t exceed its capacity. While most modern wiring has circuit breakers designed to prevent a circuit from being overloaded, it’s still a good idea to try and stay within the recommended capacity of your circuits.
Protect candles
Candle flames are a big cause of house fires during the holidays, especially with children and pets around. Keeping candles out of reach of kids, and keeping the flame at least a foot from anything flammable, is a good start to preventing a fire. In addition, using a candle holder like a lantern-shaped holder or a holder with sides, called a chimney, or hurricane candle holder will add a layer of protection. If you have real candles that you like to burn instead of their LED counterparts, adding a cage or glass around the candle is a good safety measure.
Contain sparks from fireplaces
Rogue sparks from the fireplace can cause fires long after you’ve paid attention to the fire itself. Embers that fall onto rugs or furniture can burrow down into the material and burn for up to 12 hours, even after the main fire has been extinguished. While you are likely watching the fire in a fireplace or wood stove, the area surrounding it also needs to be protected. A fire-resistant hearth rug can help protect the floor around your fireplace. Using a fireplace screen is another good way to prevent embers from finding a home.
Prevent cooking fires
Fires from cooking during the holidays are also very common. Increased use of ovens and stoves, and less-experienced cooks getting in on the holiday baking, can lead to increased risk of fire. Some smart ways to keep your kitchen safer during the holidays include keeping your countertops near the stove clear of clutter, especially cooking oils and paper packaging that can quickly turn a kitchen fire. Set timers so you check on your cooking more frequently. Also, making sure that you have your smoke detectors and fire extinguishers all in good working order before you start cooking can help you avoid disaster.
Keep Christmas trees away from heat sources
Keeping Christmas trees and wreaths away from heat sources is an important step in holiday fire safety preparedness. Since your tree as well as your wreaths are just big, dead, collections of branches that will slowly dry out as time goes on, they can be notoriously flammable. In addition to the risk of fire from damaged strands of lights, trees can also catch fire if they’re too close to a space heater or an electrical heater with coils in it. Keeping trees and wreaths at least a foot from heaters is a good way to help prevent a fire.
What to do if you smell smoke
If you smell smoke, try to determine its source as quickly as possible. Electrical fires commonly smell like burning plastic, or will have an acrid smell like fish. If you detect this smell and can’t find the source, turn off the breaker and call the fire department. If you smell smoke that’s more like burning rubber or styrofoam, it could be an ember from a fireplace that’s landed on a rug or some furniture. Check around the fireplace to locate the source of the problem. If you smell smoke like hair burning, check on your pets—animals will sometimes smell or brush against candles. Keep your fire extinguisher handy, just in case.
from LifeHacker https://ift.tt/O9zHYTo
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