Holiday Fire Safety Tips

Nothing makes the yuletide grayer than a house fire. As the holiday season approaches and family gathers, be aware of fire prevention. Maple Plain Fire Department offers some helpful tips for how to prepare your home for the holidays, and make sure the fire says in the hearth.

Around The House

Prevention should always be your main goal. But, if the worst does happen, you want to make sure your home is equipped to warn you when a fire starts and get your family out safely. Replace any batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors around your home. Families often forget to check their fire extinguishers, which are most likely to be used around the holidays. It is important to make sure that your fire extinguishers are still potent and able to suppress a fire should one break out.

Candles feature heavily into many traditions. They give your home a wonderful holiday feel, but they are also responsible for one-third of all holiday structure fires. Make sure that candles are never left unattended and are always blown out when you leave the room.

Around The Table

Second only to Thanksgiving, the holiday season sees some serious traffic through the kitchen. From cookies to cranberries, there is a lot going on around the stove, and a lot of potential for danger. When baking, make sure you are keeping open flame away from flour-saturated areas. Raw flour is flammable, and while it’s rare, it can explode when exposed to flame if the concentration in the air is high enough.

Junior cooks should be assigned to dishes or cold meals, making sure that only responsible family members are using the stove and oven areas. If your traditions involve frying anything, be extra cautious with hot oil. MPFD already covered what can happen with frying or overcooking turkeys, but the same danger lurks with any frying process.

Around The Tree

A Christmas tree is a beautiful symbol of the season, but it can be the most dangerous of your decorations. With fewer people decorating their tree with real candles and Christmas lights becoming safer, these fires are rare. But, When they do occur, Christmas tree fires are extremely destructive and often result in serious injury or death.

When selecting a tree, make sure that your family chooses one that is healthy and doesn’t shed needles when touched. Cut two inches off the base before putting the tree in the stand, and make sure that it is watered daily. The tree should be placed at least three feet from any heat source and windows.