Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…seem like a potentially dangerous situation. The holidays are a time for merriness (or at least acting as if you are happy), smells of spiced apple cider, bells, gifts, holiday parties, connecting with friends and family, eggnog, embarrassing holiday sweaters, garlands, sparkling lights and warm homes. A blazing holiday house fire can quickly mess-up your holiday plans and cheer. As you decorate, celebrate and be jolly, keep safety a top priority this holiday season.
Christmas Tree and Holiday Décor Safety
Keep your tree well watered.
Use lights designated for indoor use that are cool to the touch. Consider upgrading your holiday lights to LEDs, which stay cool.
Turn off all the holiday lights and animated decorations whenever you leave your house or go to bed.
Fireplace Safety
Use a screen around an open fireplace.
Do not allow children or pets to play around a fireplace.
Keep all combustible material away from a fireplace.
Do not hang stockings on the mantle if you have a fireplace without a closing door.
Extinguish a fire before leaving your home or going to bed.
Space Heater Safety
Keep space heaters 3 feet away from all walls and furniture.
Do not leave items, such as gifts or boxes, near space heaters.
Turn off the space heater when you leave the room, especially if you are leaving your home for any amount of time.
Do not leave a space heater on while you sleep.
Do not use a space heater as a blanket or towel warmer.
Other Considerations
Never leave candles unattended. If you are hosting a party or have a home with children and/or pets, consider using flameless, battery-operated candles.
If the power goes out and you do not have a fireplace, never use a barbeque grill to heat your home. Instead, stay the night at a hotel or local emergency, warming shelter. If the power is out temporarily, wait it out at a designated warming shelter or even a friend’s house.
Make this holiday memorable for the right reasons. Easy holiday practices go a long way if you follow through with them.
Family, football, pumpkin pie, stuffing, cranberries and “the bird”: these components, and more, help make up the day we call “Thanksgiving.” In a flurry to be prepared for this special Thursday, many people focus on what they need to do to get the food on the table in time for dinner without any major culinary disasters. What many do not think about, however, is safety. Coincidentally, Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days for firefighters and emergency workers. Help give these workers a break and keep your family safe with the following Thanksgiving Day tips.
Tips for Having a Safe and Fire-Free Thanksgiving Holiday
Keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Do not use water to try to extinguish a grease fire; this will only cause the fire to spread.
Make sure your smoke alarms work.
No wizard sleeves. While cooking, make sure you wear sleeves that fit snuggly around your arms and wrists, or wear shirts with short sleeves. Shirts and dresses with flowing sleeves can easily catch on fire over a hot stove.
Invest in timers. Use timers to help you keep track of all the food cooking in the ovens and on stovetops.
Keep any non-food items away from the stove. This includes potholders, plastic wrap, bags and so on.
Turn the handles of pots and pans inwards. This will help prevent having someone accidentally bump into them.
Do not leave cooking food and candles unattended.
Double check to see that the stove and oven are turned off.
Designate an adult to do a walkthrough of the home after the guests leave to make sure all candles are extinguished.
When frying a turkey, do so at least 10 feet away the home and other flammable surfaces. Make sure the turkey is fully defrosted before placing it in the hot oil, and monitor the fryer the whole time it is in use and when the oil is hot.
Clean your oven before and after Turkey Day. Bits of grease that remain in the oven can easily catch fire.
Do not allow children, pets or many guests in the kitchen area. This will help prevent accidents.
The winter weather has not made any exceptions this year. States west to east have had massive amounts of snow dumped upon them as if a giant snow cone machine was shaving ice in the clouds above.
“The Weather Guys” with USA Today have stated the following for today for your area of the country and your neighbors:
“Northwest nightmare — A powerful winter storm is hammering the Northwest today. Gusty winds and heavy snow and rain are affecting Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Blizzard warnings have been issued for the Cascade and Olympic mountains today. Rain will spread south across California by later today. Dangerous cold in the center — Intense cold and howling winds are the main weather story in the central USA today. Dangerously cold wind chills values will bottom out well below zero across most of the Plains and Midwest. The winds will bring some lake-effect snow in the lee of the Great Lakes. More nastiness in the Northeast — Yet another in a series of winter storms is bringing snow and ice to the Northeast today. The heaviest snow should be in northern New York State and northern New England. Strong, bitterly cold winds will be the main story later today and tonight in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic areas.”
An apartment fire at the Silver Spring Apartments in Columbus, Ohio this weekend took the lives of five people: a mother and her children.
When firefighters arrived on the scene of the disaster and entered the building in an attempt to rescue the victims, they had to turn back because of the amount of smoke and the instability of the structure. Twenty-one fire trucks were on scene to assist with the rescue efforts. However, when the firefighters attempted to put out the blazes with water, the water ended up freezing, thus hindering their efforts.
Experts believe the Christmas tree in the living room of the home was the cause of the fire, which took 90 minutes to extinguish.
Please take every precaution this holiday season with all of your fabulous décor to make sure your home is safe. Five minutes of taking care in favor of safety can prevent much unneeded heartache we all hear about too often.
Deep frying your turkey has become a popular trend across the United States. However, as you may have seen in the video above, many dangerous risks are involved.
The Los Angeles Fire Department’s blog has posted some tips about deep-frying safely. If one is going to fry their bird, keep the following in mind:
“Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors, on a solid level surface a safe distance from buildings and flammable materials.
Never use a turkey fryer on a wooden deck, under a patio cover, in a garage or any enclosed space.
Remember that overfilling the fryer will lead to danger.
Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. Wear long sleeves and safety goggles to protect you from oil splatter.
Make sure the turkey is completely thawed. The National Turkey Federation recommends refrigerator thawing and to allow approximately 24 hours for every five pounds of bird.
Be careful with marinades. Remember that oil and water don’t mix. Even a small amount of moisture can cause oil to spill over, leading to a fire or explosion hazard.
Never leave the fryer unattended. Frying a turkey requires full-time adult attention.
Never let children or pets near the fryer when in use. Even hours after use, the oil inside can remain dangerously hot.
Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby, and know its proper use and limitations. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire!
If a turkey fryer fire occurs, have some immediately call 9-1-1.
Use your best judgment. If the fire is manageable and you can do so safely, use the all-purpose fire extinguisher.”
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…seem like a potentially dangerous situation. The holidays are a time for merriness (or at least acting as if you are happy), smells of spiced apple cider, bells, gifts, holiday parties, connecting with friends and family, eggnog, embarrassing holiday sweaters, garlands, sparkling lights and warm homes. A blazing holiday house fire can quickly mess-up your holiday plans and cheer. As you decorate, celebrate and be jolly, keep safety a top priority this holiday season.
