HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — ’Tis the season for celebrating, for entertaining, more cooking, and an increased electrical fire risk. The Hill Fire Department would like to keep your family safe this year by offering these holiday season tips.
Trees:
• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for a fire resistant label on the box.
• If purchasing a live tree, make a fresh cut on the trunk of your live tree, place it in a sturdy holder, and water it daily.
• A live tree’s needles should always be green and hard. If your live tree becomes dry, dispose of it immediately.
• Do not burn tree branches or needles in your fireplace.
• When displaying either an artificial or live tree in your home, place it away from fireplaces or other heat producing appliances.
• Do not use candles on or near Christmas trees.
Lights:
Before crawling up on the roof to hang lights and decorations, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), you need to know that there are about 12,000 injuries related to holiday lights and decorations.
• Check all indoor and outdoor lights for frayed cords and replace them. Never use lights that have an empty socket.
• Lights should not touch combustible materials.
• Use only outdoor lights for outdoors.
• Turn off all lights and blow out all candles prior to leaving your home or going to bed.
• Do not overload electrical circuits, such as wall outlets and extension cords, use a circuit strip.
Decorations:
• All decorations should be fire resistant and placed away from heat sources.
• Use only non-combustible or flame resistant materials to trim a tree.
• Never put wrapping paper in the fire place.
Alarms:
• Have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, test them monthly and keep them clean and equipped with fresh batteries at all times.
• Never borrow a battery from your smoke detector to use in remote controls or new holiday toys.
• Know when an how to call for help and practice your home escape plan.
At Hill, all office decorations should be non-combustible and no live Christmas trees are allowed in office areas. In addition, all Christmas lights should be turned off prior to the last person leaving the office area
Lastly, are you looking for a practical gift to give for Christmas? The Hill Fire Department suggests you consider giving smoke detectors or portable fire extinguishers to family and friends. Unfortunately, many people will not purchase fire safety items for themselves.
What a better way to show you care by giving a gift that could save a life.
