Apartment Holiday Fire Safety
An iconic winter holidays evoke images of cozy fireplaces hung with stockings and twinkling lights. At this time of year most everyone is decorating and stringing tons of lights. All you need to do is follow a few simple, but effective rules.
Apartment Holiday Fires
Fire house administrators say that electrical malfunctions cause at least one-fourth of all winter holiday fires. Therefore, professionals urge families to abide by all fire safety measures. You should follow home fire prevention all year long, not just during the holiday season.
Winter holiday festivities involved decorating with light long before the invention of electricity. These types of rituals are very important. Many families pass their values onto the next generation this way. To safely continue these traditions in your apartment you need to follow a few, simple rules.
Holiday Fire Safety Tips
Natural holiday trees can be one of the most dangerous fire potential risks. Make sure you place the tree in a container which will hold water. Water the tree every single day. It only takes a couple days for a tree to dry out. Once this happens it becomes tinder for an apartment blaze. Keeping your tree hydrated is a huge step toward preventing holiday fires.
Malfunctioning or faulty lights are another contributor to these types of disasters. Before plugging them in, inspect the light strand for frayed or exposed wire. Next, plug them up to ensure they are in proper working order before placing the lights on the tree.
Circuit overload is another cause of holiday fire. If you intend to decorate with many strings of lights, spread them out among several electrical outlets. Always unplug your holiday décor before leaving your apartment or retiring to bed.
If your family uses space heaters, place them a safe distance from your tree. You should never plug them into extension cords. Fire safety professionals strongly recommend against leaving space heaters unattended.
Additional Fire Safety Tips
You should test your smoke alarms at least once per month. It is also a good idea to replace the batteries every six months or at least once a year. You can ask your apartment manager or local fire house for the best choices of fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide detectors.
Never leave candles burning unattended. This means staying in the room to monitoring the candle flame. Fires ignite and spread quickly. Be sure to place burning candles at least two feet from flammable objects, other decorations, and your tree. Invest in sturdy and stable candle holders.
Hire a professional or inspect and clean your chimney annually. This should be more often, if your family uses the fireplace as a heat source. The main goal is to ensure your chimney has proper clearance.
This is a wonderful time of year. Teach your family these simple, but vital rules to keep the festivities fun and cozy this holiday season. You might also heck with your local fire station for more safety tips.