(SOUTHFIELD, Mich.) – Each year, hospital emergency rooms treat over 10,000 people nationwide for fire-related injuries during the holiday season. The City of Southfield Fire Department Fire provides the following tips to help avoid tragic fires or fire-related injuries:
- Never leave lighted candles unattended and trim the wicks back to ¼” before each use.
- Keep candles away from drafts or vents and out of reach of children (example: in locations where tablecloths hang over the table edge within a child’s reach. the child could pull the tablecloth and knock over the candle). Also, be aware of curious pets.
- When decorating with lights, only use lights that have been tested by a recognized testing laboratory (ul, ulc, etl, etc.)
- Use lights only where they are designed to be used (indoors/outdoors and light that have plugs containing fuses).
- Inspect lights for cracks, frays, loose connections, etc. and discard them if they are damaged.
- If you use an extension cord outdoors, make sure it is rated for its intended use.
- Turn off all lights when leaving your home and before going to sleep (most fatal fires occur at home, at night, while you are sleeping).
- Do not burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. This eliminates a highly combustible fuel source and helps avoid a premature buildup of creosote in your chimney.
- Have your fireplace cleaned/inspected regularly, especially if you use it often.
- When purchasing an artificial tree, check for a fire resistant label.
- Never use lighted candles on a tree or near any other combustibles.
- Never use electric lights on a metal tree.
- Use non-combustible or flame resistant materials to trim a tree.
- When purchasing a real tree, tap the tree on the ground. If a lot of needles fall off, the tree is already too dry.
- A fresh tree will have needles that are hard to pull off of the branches and that won’t break when bent between your fingers.
- The trunk butt of the tree should be sticky with resin if it is fresh.
- After purchasing, perform a fresh ½” cut on the trunk to promote water uptake.
- Check the water level of the tree holder reservoir daily.
- Set up the tree away from fireplaces or other heat sources that might cause premature drying of the tree.
- Place the tree away from doorways to avoid blocking potential emergency exits.
- Maintain good housekeeping and a minimum three feet clearance around furnaces, hot water tanks, gas dryers, and other appliances. Hire a licensed contractor for any maintenance or repairs.
- Use fused power strips instead of multi-plug adaptors and extension cords to prevent electrical overload. Hire a licensed electrician to upgrade fuse panels to circuit breaker panels.
- Keep combustibles away from candles and never leave candles unattended. Blow out before you go out.
- If using an approved electric space heater, plug it directly into an approved receptacle; maintain a minimum clearance of three feet in all directions and only use under constant supervision. Turn them off before leaving the area and before going to sleep.
- In addition to these fire prevention tips, maintain smoke detectors on every level of your home, in every bedroom, outside of each bedroom and sleep with the bedroom door closed. Install a carbon monoxide detector in close proximity to where you sleep.
- Test your detectors monthly. When you change your clocks, change your smoke detector batteries and any time they “chirp,” indicating low battery. Design and practice a fire escape plan.
Fire hazards never take a holiday. The best gift we can give our families is that of a safe holiday season. Call Southfield Fire Prevention for more information at (248) 796-5700.
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