Safety Tips For Holiday Decorating

General Safety Rules For The Holidays:

• Matches, lighters, and candles should all be kept out of reach of children.
• Smoking should not be done near flammable decorations.
• Make a fire escape plan in case a fire breaks out in the house. Make sure that everyone in the family knows what to do. EXERCISE THE PLAN!
• Wear loose, flowing clothing away from open flames, especially long, open sleeves, such as those found in a fireplace, stove, or candlelight table.
• Never light a candle near a live evergreen. It's also risky to burn evergreens in the fireplace. Greens are tinder-like when dried. Flares can get out of hand, sending sparks into a room or up the chimney, igniting creosote deposits.
• Make a safety plan. Keep in mind that nothing beats common sense. Look for potential risk sites around candles, fireplaces, trees, and/or electrical connections and remove them

Other things to consider when making your home cozy for the holidays:

• Trees - 
  • Many fake trees can withstand fire. Look for a statement that specifies this protection if you buy one.
    A fresh tree will stay green for longer and pose a lower risk of fire than a dry tree. Remember to check for freshness by doing the following:
    
    •  Green is the color of a new tree.
      
    •  It's difficult to remove fresh needles off branches.
      
    •  Fresh needles do not shatter when bent between your fingers.
      
    •  A fresh tree's trunk butt is sticky with resin.
      
    •  A shower of dropping needles indicates that a tree's trunk is excessively dry when it is bounced on the ground.
  • Keep the tree away from heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators, and other heat sources. Heat quickly dries out trees, posing a fire hazard.
    To improve water absorption, cut off around two inches of the trunk to expose young wood. 
  • Cut off about two inches of the trunk to expose fresh wood for better water absorption. Trim away branches as necessary to set tree trunk in the base of a sturdy, water-holding stand with wide spread feet. Keep the stand filled with water while the tree is indoors.
  • Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways. Use thin guy-wires to secure a large tree to walls or ceiling. These wires are almost invisible.
• "Snow" - 
  • Artificial snow sprays can irritate lungs if inhaled. To avoid injury, read container labels; follow directions carefully.
• Lights - 
  • Use only lights that have been tested for safety, whether indoors or out. These can be identified by the label from a third-party testing lab.
  • Check each pair of lights for damaged or cracked sockets, frayed or naked wires, and loose connections, whether they're new or old. Before using, discard or repair any damaged sets.
  • To safeguard outside lights from wind damage, tie them to trees, houses, buildings, or other solid support.
  • Use a single extension chord to power no more than three standard-size light sets.
  • Turn off all lights on trees and other decorations when you go to bed or leave the house. Lights could short and start a fire.
  • Never use electric lights on a metallic tree.
  • The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and any person touching a branch could be electrocuted! To avoid this danger, use colored spotlights above or beside a tree, never fastened onto it!
  • Keep “bubbling” lights away from children. These lights with their bright colors and bubbling movement can tempt curious children to break candle-shaped glass, which can cut, and attempt to drink liquid, which contains a hazardous chemical.
• Candles - 
  • Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens.
  • Always use non-flammable holders.
  • Keep candles away from other decorations and wrapping paper.
  • Place candles where they cannot be knocked down or blown over
• Trimmings - 
  • Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials.
  • Wear gloves while decorating with spun glass “angel hair” to avoid irritation to eyes and skin.
  • Choose tinsel or artificial icicles or plastic or non-leaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children.
  • In homes with small children, take special care to:
    • Avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable.
    • Keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children. Pieces could be swallowed or inhaled.
    • Avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food. A child could eat them!
• Paper - 
  • When making paper decorations, look for materials labeled non-combustible or flame-resistant.
  • Never place trimming near open flames or electrical connections.
  • Remove all wrapping papers from tree and fireplace areas immediately after presents are opened.
  • Do not burn papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely. 
• Fire - 
  • Before lighting any fire, remove all greens, boughs, papers, and other decorations from fireplace area.
  • Check to see that flue is open.
  • Keep a screen before the fireplace all the time a fire is burning.
  • Use care with “fire salts” which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals which can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation or vomiting if eaten. Keep away from children.