Most people in the United States celebrate one or more holidays during the fall and winter months. Celebrations can quickly turn sour should an accident or fire take place. Consider the following ways to ensure that your holidays are safe and enjoyable.
Halloween Safety
If you allow trick or treaters to come to your home, be sure to provide a well lit space for them. Porch and exterior lights should be on to help prevent falls. Young children in particular may not have the best coordination. Should your porch have lots of stairs, consider pulling up a chair and greeting children at the end of your driveway instead.
Consider using battery operated candles in pumpkins, as dried out pumpkins can catch fire when exposed to a candle. The holiday season accounts for over 15,000 yearly fires, well over a hundred deaths, thousands of injuries, and millions of dollars in property damage.
Thanksgiving Safety
What could go wrong on Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving actually presents fire hazardous due to all of the cooking that takes place. The trend of deep-frying turkeys has increased Thanksgiving fire numbers. Should you plan to fry your turkey this year, follow the directions exactly. Additionally, never place a fryer next to your home, or inside a garage or other structure.
Have a working fire extinguisher nearby whether cooking indoors or out. All homes should have a fire extinguisher that is available for use throughout the year. Don't have one? They can be purchased at many hardware or general merchandise stores.
Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza Safety
Each of these holidays will present various decorating opportunities. Practice ladder safety when hanging lights, wreaths, or other decoration. Over 5,000 people are injured due to falls that occur during decorating each year.
Candle safety should also be practiced. Taper candles should not be placed directly onto cloth or any flammable material. Check to make sure that candles are completely out prior to leaving home or going to bed for the night. Clean up any dripped wax as soon as possible.
A final consideration would be the Christmas tree. Christmas trees are believed to be responsible for hundreds of fires each holiday season. Live trees present the greatest fire hazard. Be sure that the tree is watered so that it does not dry out. Do not connect too many strands of lights together. Doing so could cause a short that emits sparks and causes a fire.
Just a little common sense will go a long way in preventing holiday accidents and fires. Consider speaking to your children about holiday safety so that they too may be able to spot potential problems. Prevention is key, and this can easily be accomplished by following just a few simple rules.
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