Holidays are a wonderful time of the year and an anticipated opportunity to gather together with family, friends and other loved ones. With all the holiday activity taking place , it’s a good time to review some ways to make your home safe and secure this season. At Liberty Mutual, we want you and your family to enjoy the season to the fullest. We hope these holiday safety hints help you stress less as you prepare for the good times ahead.
Kitchen
No matter what your family’s cultural ties, food is always a big part of seasonal festivities. To help you create memorable dishes safely, we offer these kitchen tips:
- Keep children and pets out of the kitchen so they won’t get hurt.
- When the stovetop burners are on, remain in the kitchen to monitor them.
- Be sure to inspect roasting pans, slow cookers, food processors and appliances before using them; do not use any that have missing or broken parts.
- Keep countertop clutter to a minimum and move combustible items such as dish towels and oven mitts away from heat sources.
- Open a window or use a fan instead of burning candles to remove cooking odors.
Decorations
Holiday decorations transform a home from everyday normal to something magical. We recommend using good judgment and some restraint when decking your halls. Here are our suggestions:
- Keep doors, windows and walkways free of decorations that could prevent you from making a safe exit in the event of fire.
- Use only non-flammable decorations. While old decorations may have sentimental value, they likely are not fire safe or flame resistant. If you do use these old decorations, keep them away from heat sources and open flames.
- Decorative displays featuring candles or lights can be a fire hazard; never leave them unattended when lit or illuminated.
Holiday lights
Holiday lights are fun and festive. They also require special care and consideration to avoid being a fire hazard. Think about these safety tips for holiday lighting before you begin to illuminate your home:
- Select the right lights; ratings on indoor and outdoor light sets are often different and should not be used interchangeably. Look for the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) rating tag.
- Use clips designed specifically for hanging lights instead of staples or nails, which can damage wiring.
- Turn off lights before leaving your home or going to bed – especially lights on cut and artificial Christmas trees.
Trees
If you display a tree as part of your holiday preparations, be sure to follow a few simple safety guidelines that will help you enjoy it longer and reduce its potential to become a fire danger.
- Keep your tree at least three feet from all heat sources.
- Do not go near a holiday tree with an open flame on candles, lighters or matches.
- If you choose a live tree, try to get one that’s been cut very recently and keep it watered the entire time it’s on display.
- Keep strings of lights short – connect no more than three sets of mini-lights or a maximum of 50 screw-in type bulbs.
Kids and pets
A family gathering usually means everyone’s invited – children, pets and all the chaos they bring with them. These holiday safety tips for children and pets might save your nerves and a trip to the emergency room!
- Keep matches, lighters and burning candles out of reach and on sturdy surfaces that cannot easily be tipped over.
- Children and pets should stay out of the kitchen, no matter how good the cookies smell.
- Help children understand how important it is to stay away from fireplaces and portable heaters.
Heating
No matter what home heat source your family relies on during this time of year, be sure to have it inspected during the off season so that it’s ready to go during peak demand times such as the holidays. In addition:
- Ensure that fireplaces and wood stoves have protective screens.
- Maintain a three-foot clearance from all heating units and flammable objects.
- Turn off space heaters before leaving a room and never leave them on overnight.
- Keep decorations and furniture away at least three feet away from electric baseboard heating and forced air vents (hold or cold air).( Keeping furniture away from vents blowing cold air allows the air to move into the rooms and keeps your air conditioner from running more than necessary or overheating.)
Parties and celebrations
Having extra people around for the holidays means extra fun as well as increased safety risk. To avoid any mishaps, prepare your home and prep the guests by sharing your home safety plans and resources with them. It’s important to:
- Make sure guests know your emergency escape plan, especially if they are staying overnight.
- Politely invite smokers to go outside to smoke, and be sure to provide large, suitable ashtrays for the disposal of smoking materials.
- After a party, check for ashes and cigarette butts on the floor and seat cushions.
- Keep lit candles high on shelves or in other stable locations where they cannot easily be disturbed or tipped over.
More Resources
Liberty Mutual stays current with the recommendations of the leading experts in fire safety. Even though you’re busy with holiday preparations, we suggest you take the time to visit these resources online:
- www.nfpa.org
- www.firesafety.gov