Christmas is a busy time for everyone. It’s a time to spend with friends and family and forget about life’s daily problems. However, while you’re enjoying the festivities, it’s important to remember to stay safe and remember the importance of fire safety at Christmas.
It is a time when your home is filled with many more flammable items and fire risks, such as your Christmas tree, wrapping paper, candles, tissue paper and your fairy lights. Christmas decorations and trees are responsible for over 1000 house fires each year, so you should take extra precautions to make sure your home isn’t one of these.
While it’s fun to make your house look cosy and festive, you should also consider some of the top hazards which may leave your home open to a fire if you aren’t careful.
Consider a Fire-Retardant Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree fire risk is one of the biggest issues when it comes to house fires at Christmas. They look pretty with their lights on, but they are still trees. If you choose to have a real tree in your home, with the nice fresh smell of Christmas, you might also be inviting the potential for it to catch fire.
Trees are still made of wood and putting lights or candles near them could be a hazard.
Instead of a real tree, opt for a fake, fire-retardant Christmas tree. They still look great and are less of a hazard. You can always buy some scent sticks to get that christmassy smell.
Decorate Sensibly
Try to keep decorations out of the areas that are already open to normal house fires. For example, don’t place tinsel in the kitchen, knowing that it could catch fire if the oven gets too hot.
Check Age and Condition of Lighting
The Christmas lights fire risk is also a common one. Make sure you do a check of your lighting before putting it on your tree. If there are any tears in the wiring or any missing bulbs, throw the set away and replace them.
Always replace with LED lighting, as these bulbs don’t get too hot and make sure your new set have a British or European safety mark on the plug.
Also remember that extension leads shouldn’t be overloaded with too many extra plugs.
Unplug your Electricals
You might have multiple sets of lights inside and out and other decorations which work on electricity. Make sure you turn all electrical items off before you leave the house. You never know when you might experience a fault.
Take Care of Lighting Candles
Candles look amazing and festive, but they are still dangerous if they are left unattended. Try fake flickering candles or if you just can’t part with the real thing, make sure you stick around to watch them. Always blow them out when you leave the room and never leave them lit near other decorations.
Take Care when Cooking
Christmas dinner can be fun, but also very stressful if you are the one cooking. Make sure you still adhere to normal safety protocol: turn everything off once you’re finished with it and don’t drink while you’re cooking. If you spill anything, make sure you wipe it up immediately.
If you’re worried about fire safety this Christmas, Northants Fire are on hand to provide expert advice on safety and evacuation procedures and can provide training on fire safety equipment and smoke alarms. If you need some peace of mind this Christmas, contact Northants Fire now.
