Christmas Tree Fire Safety
Christmas is just around the corner, and as it draws closer, millions of households will be decorating their homes ready for the festive season. The old Christmas decorations are pulled down from the loft and put up once again. As the Christmas tree goes up and the garlands are land upon the mantelpiece, not many of us think of the health and safety risks you may be taking. Using old Christmas decorations can be dangerous if you don’t take the right safety measures and fire risk assessments first.
Some families have not been so fortunate in the season of Christmas cheer. This is due to unexpected Christmas tree fires causing personal injuries, damage to property, and even death, according to the fire safety administrators. Some of these fires have been reported to have escalated due to poor fire safety procedures regarding their Christmas trees as outlined by the authorities.
It is, therefore, crucial to ensure that this season, no Christmas tree fires are experienced. Thus, people should maintain a safety net this Christmas season by following some of the safety principles outlined below while decorating their Christmas tree.
Xmas Tree Fire Safety Measures
First and foremost, what type of Christmas tree do you have? Do you have a fake or real tree?
Fake Christmas Tree
Whilst there are many benefits to using fake Christmas trees this holiday, safety isn’t one of them. Overloading them with old Christmas lights, paper and plastic ornaments, and tinsel is all great fun until the overworked outlets and faulty wires cause a Christmas tree fire.
Real Christmas Tree
Before purchasing or securing a Christmas tree this coming Christmas season, it is critical to consider their freshness. This implies that you would need to get a freshly cut tree, preferably with the green needle leaves not falling off easily upon impact with an external force. This is because a dry Christmas tree with loose needles, falling all over the house is disastrous and may lead to a fire since the Christmas tree will readily burn upon contact with fire, and the spread needles might conduct fire from afar and lead it back to the tree making it burn.
It is vital to ensure that the Christmas trees remain fresh and hydrated all the time by placing them in a pot, watering them frequently to lower their ease of combustion.
How to Reduce the Risk of a Christmas Tree Fire
The Christmas tree needs to be strategically placed within the home. It should be placed away from any heat ignition sources such as candles, live electric wires, active sockets, and fireplaces since all of these could easily ignite the Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree should not be placed along any pathways or entrances. If a Christmas tree fire was to unexpectedly take place, you need a clear exit.
The Christmas tree should be decorated using high-quality bulbs and cords form trusted suppliers, laboratory tested lights and those recommended for indoor applications and not just any materials which might spoil during the celebration resulting in a disaster. The Christmas tree wiring and the entire electrical system should be thoroughly inspected to ensure that there are no exposed wires, faulty or broken lights and sockets which could ignite a fire.
Furthermore, the electrical system running through the Christmas tree should not be overloaded by plugging in too many outlets since this might result in a short-circuiting, causing the tree to catch fire. The Christmas tree lighting system should be switched off when no one is around or when sleeping since an unexpected power surge might result in the tree catching fire.
The decorations on the tree should not be made from readily burning materials such as paper and cardboard. These materials, when exposed to slight heat from the tree lightings/bulbs, might ignite while on the tree resulting in the Christmas tree catching fire.
The Christmas tree should not be kept longer than it should be since, after a while, it becomes overly dry and could catch fire easily. Therefore, once the Christmas tree is dried up, it should be disposed of for recycling and not left around the home.
Fire Containment Measures
Nevertheless, despite all the safety measures, some fires still manage to occur; thus, homeowners are required to have a fire extinguisher around the house. If that is not possible, then ensure your fire alarm system is working correctly and all alarms have new batteries. Whilst this won’t prevent a Christmas tree fire, it can alert you and your family so you can evacuate safely.
To ensure that your Christmas tree and decorations are as safe as possible, why not have a fire risk assessment, this can help you to identify the points of danger and prevent them from causing further damage. Get in touch with us today on 01604 760 600 to find out more about how we can help you.
