Holiday Safety Guidelines

Holiday Safety Guidelines

Tips for the Christmas season

The U.S. Fire Safety Administration and the National Fire Protection Association offer these tips to increase holiday fire safety awareness. The number of home fires caused by candles, trees, heaters, and overloaded electric outlets and worn out light wiring rise from now to New Year’s Day. The USFSA offers these facts to consider:

• The decorations being too close to a heat source caused 45% of holiday time house fires. Cooking equipment being to close to decorations caused 18 percent of the home fire this time of year.

• Overloaded electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in 35 percent of Christmas tree fires.

• One out of six decoration fires start in the living room or den.

• Although Christmas tree fires are not common, when they do occur, they are more likely to be serious. On Average, one in every 31 reported home Christmas tree fires results in death compared to an average of one death per 144 total reported home fires.

• 23 percent of all Christmas tree fires and ten percent

of all decoration fires were intentional.

• A heat source too close to the tree causes one in every four Christmas tree problems.

• One-third of all candle fires start in the bedroom. The top three days for candle fires are Christmas, New year’s Day and Christmas Eve. Half of all decoration fires were ignited by candles.

• The three peak days for home cooking fires are in order Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.

From the U.S. Fire Safety Administration