The holiday season is here, and around the world, revelers are setting up holiday candles, trees and lights to decorate their homes. The Firefighter”™s Association of New York (FASNY) would like to remind everyone of a few safety tips to enjoy a safe holiday season.
“The holidays bring cheer, love and joy”¦each year,” said FASNY President Edward Tase Jr. “Unfortunately, they historically also bring an increase in home fires. Dry trees, unattended cooking and forgotten candles can all lead to tragedy. We want all”¦ to enjoy a safe and accident-free holiday.”
According to the”¯National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), U.S. fire departments respond to an average of 160 home fires that start with Christmas trees per year and an average of 7,900 home fires started by candles. From”¯2014 to 2018, fires caused by candles resulted in an average of 81 civilian fire deaths, 677 civilian fire injuries and $278 million in direct property damage per year.”¯
New York state has had the second-most home fire fatalities this year, with”¯126 deaths, following Pennsylvania with 141. At this time last year, New York had”¯102 home fire fatalities, fifth-most in the nation.
“Keep yourself and your loved ones safe this holiday by not leaving candles unattended and turning off all decoration lights when leaving the home,” Tase added. “Also, if using a live tree to decorate your house this season, be sure to water it often and place it away from any heating sources to avoid fire risk.”
Here are some more tips from FASNY and the NFPA:
- Be careful with holiday decorations. Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
- Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn.
- Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.
- Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections.
- Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged.
- Keep decorations away from windows and doors.
And follow these safety tips for your Christmas tree:
- Fresh trees are less likely to catch fire, so look for a tree with vibrant green needles that are hard to pluck and don”™t break easily from its branches. The tree shouldn”™t be shedding its needles readily.
- Always place your tree away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights, and keep the tree base filled with water to avoid a dry-out.
- Make sure all your indoor and outdoor Christmas lights have been tested in a lab by the UL or ETL/ITSNA for safety, and throw out any damaged lights.
- Any lights you use outdoors must be labeled suitable for exterior placement, and be sure to plug them into a ground-fault circuit interrupter protected receptacle.
- Keep all your holiday candles away from your Christmas tree, surrounding furniture and décor.
- Don”™t forget to turn your Christmas tree lights off each night.
