Holiday Fire Safety Tips

12/19/2018 (Permalink)

As the holiday season approaches, SERVPRO of Athens wants to help you and your family have a happy and safe holiday. Fire damage is not something that is at the top of your mind during this time, but it’s important to remember some easy suggestions in order to ensure your family’s safety. The American Red Cross has provided the following tips to prevent any fire damage and to make sure you have a safe and joyous holiday!

• Cooking and Baking: No holiday celebration would be complete without a feast, but be sure to take precautions against kitchen fires when you’re cooking and baking. That includes keeping children and flammable items such as grocery bags and kitchen towels away from the stove and oven. Clean up greasy spills as you go to remove another fire hazard. If you’re deep frying a turkey, keep the fryer well away from structures and trees, make sure your turkey is fully thawed, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your fryer
• Christmas Trees: Old fashioned Christmas celebrations featured wax candles on live tree branches – inside homes! Today we know better, but risks still remain. If your family prefers real trees, be sure to water yours every day because dry needles and wood catch fire more easily. Go ahead and use many strings of light, but don’t plug more than 3 strings into each other (opt for a power strip instead). Discard light strings that are worn or broken. And be sure to always unplug the lights before leaving the house or going to sleep.
• Fireplaces: Nothing takes the chill off winter holidays like the light and heat of a fire on your hearth. Just be sure to keep “fuel” – from wrapping paper to rugs to clothing – at least three feet away from the flames. Use a fire screen to keep embers and logs from escaping. Lastly, make sure all embers are fully extinguished before you turn in for the night.

If you experience any fire damage, please give SERVPRO of Athens a call today at (706) 549-3366.

For more information, please visit https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire/holiday-fire-safety.html