"The Virtual Center for Independent Living for West Virginia""The Virtual Center for Independent Living for West Virginia"Home > Holiday Safety
by Carol Nolte, Deputy State Fire Marshal
With the winter holidays upon us, one of the best gifts you can give your family is a safe home in which to celebrate the season.
The following are tips to help your holiday be happy, healthy and safe.
If you're buying a cut tree for Christmas, check for freshness. A fresh tree has a good green color and needles that are hard to pull from the branches and do not break. Also, the trunk butt of a fresh tree will be sticky with resin. Shedding, brittle needles and a faded green color are signs of a dry tree.
Keep your tree fresh by placing it in a stand that holds water. Be sure to check the water level every day.
If you use an artificial tree, make sure the label says "fire resistant". This does NOT mean the tree won't catch fire - it does mean that the tree should resist burning and extinguish fairly quickly in the event of fire.
Keep your tree out of traffic areas and away from doorways - exits should always be clear. Also, make sure there's a "safe zone" all around your tree - at least 3 feet away from fireplaces, wood stoves and other heat sources (candles included).
Heated rooms dry out cut trees quickly, creating fire hazards, so keep the room with the tree a little cooler. Use a humidifier if you have one.
With the extra lights and decorations for the holidays, don't be tempted to plug too many items into your outlets. Electrical overloads are among the most common causes of fires in the home. Unplug items that aren't in use, and never ignore a tripped fuse - correct the situation at once. If you use fuses, make sure you replace them only with fuses of the correct amperage.
Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Don't forget to check your extension cords, too. Throw out any damaged lights or cords - it's not worth the potential fire risk to keep them.
If the lights you're using haven't been tested by Underwriters' Laboratories or another national testing lab, you run a very real risk of fire. Lights that have not been manufactured in accordance with recognized safety standards are known fire hazards.
Use no more than the recommended three standard-size sets of miniature lights per single extension cord or outlet.
Never run extension cords through doorways, under rugs, or through any high-traffic areas. This can damage the insulation and wire inside, causing a fire hazard.
Always disconnect all decorative lights before you go to bed or leave the house. Lights can short and cause a fire.
Don't hang strings of lights in any way that might damage the cord's insulation. Never nail through a cord or use a tack through a cord to hang strings. Use only insulated staples to hold strands in place, or run the strings through hooks.
Always display candles safely by keeping them in stable, non-flammable holders. Don't use holders that are "top heavy" and will easily tilt over (this also applies to potpourri burners and incense burners).
Keep candles, potpourri burners and incense away from materials that will burn, such as other decorations, paper, plastic, fabric or curtains. Also keep them away from children and pets.
If you are going to sleep or just running a quick errand, be sure to extinguish all burning candles. Candles burning unattended have caused fire deaths in West Virginia and all over the world.
These popular fragrance candles are usually sold in glass containers, with or without lids. This type of candle has been known to overheat, causing expansion and breakage of its glass container. Make sure you have the candle set on some type of fire-resistant material. Use it exactly as directed, and feel the glass often to make sure it's not overheating.
Never burn gift wrappings! Flash fires can occur when gift wrap suddenly bursts into flame and burns intensely. Burning papers and other improper fuels in the fireplace is a major cause of chimney fires.
Always use a fire screen to keep sparks from escaping onto nearby rugs, upholstered furniture or other combustibles. Before closing the flue, make sure the fire is out completely. When disposing of ashes, use a sealed metal container to transport the ashes. Cardboard, paper or plastic bags will quickly catch fire.
Light strings, candle lights or other electrical decorations are not toys and can produce deadly electrical shocks. Also, keep children and pets away from burning candles, incense, potpourri burners and completely away from flame and heating sources.
Careless smoking is a leading cause of fire deaths at any time of the year, but the risk increases during holiday parties and gatherings.
Check carefully for any smoldering smoking materials (between cushions, under furniture, etc.) before going to bed. Smoking materials can smolder for hours - long after you've gone to bed. Also, never smoke around the tree or flammable decorations.
Lock them up, as well as smoking materials. Small children are still the most likely victims to die from fires caused by adult failure to lock up dangerous materials such as matches and lighters.
Combining prescription medications that can make you drowsy, or alcohol consumption, especially when combined with smoking, seriously affects judgment and coordination, and has resulted in many fire deaths in West Virginia. Others' safety is at stake besides your own. Make smart, safe decisions.
If you haven't changed the batteries in your smoke detector this year, now is a good time. At the same time, vacuum the dust off the outside of your detectors, too. This will help keep them working effectively.
The holidays can bring increased risk of fire. A working smoke detector in your home can double your chances of surviving a fire.
"To improve the Quality of Life of the citizens of West Virginia through the Leadership, Development and Administration of Fire Safety Programs and to reduce the loss of life and property through Education, Inspections, Investigations, Certification & Licensure, Building Plan Reviews and Enforcement of Fire Safety Laws".
To learn more about the Office of the WV State Fire Marshall please visit their Web site: www.wvfiremarshal.org.
West Virginia continues to be in the top ten states for fire loss because so many West Virginians live in rural areas where emergency responders might not be able to reach them in time during a fire. Therefore, it is especially important to practice good fire safety every day!
(Source: 2004 Annual Report - WV State Fire Marshal)
To learn more about living independently and safely, please visit MTSTCIL's fire safety online skills training class at: Fire Safety
National Fire Protection Agency
1 Batterymarch Park
Quincy, Massachusetts 02169-7471
Telephone: 617-770-3000
Web site: www.nfpa.org
US Fire Administration
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
Telephone: 301-447-1000
Web site: www.usfa.fema.gov
Carol Nolte, Deputy State Fire Marshal with the WV State Fire Marshal's Office, has provided us with these important Holiday Safety Tips.
Carol has served as Public Education Officer for the State Fire Marshal's Office for over eight years, providing fire and life safety education to the public, the fire service, schools, businesses and others. As a fire marshal, she is responsible for statewide enforcement of laws/codes dealing with fire, arson and explosives.
Carol is State Administrator for the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) for West Virginia. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary and secondary education.
Carol is available to provide fire prevention and safety education to the public at no cost. If you or your organization is interested in learning more about fire and safety education please feel free to contact Carol at:
Carol Nolte, Deputy State Fire Marshal
WV State Fire Marshal's Office
Public Education Division
Telephone: 304-558-2191, ext. 223
Email: Carol.E.Nolte@wv.gov
