Spread holiday cheer, and fire safety

Holiday Tips to Hear Sleigh Bells Jingling, Not Fire Alarms Ringing

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The holiday season is here. Across the state, residents are setting up holiday candles, trees and lights to decorate their homes. The Firefighter’s Association of New York (FASNY) wants to remind everyone of a few safety tips to enjoy a safe holiday season.

FASNY president Edward Tase Jr. says the holidays bring cheer, love and joy to New Yorkers, but unfortunately, it historically also brings an increase in home fires. Dry trees, unattended cooking, and forgotten candles can lead to tragedy.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), U.S. fire departments responded to an average 160 home fires that started with Christmas trees per year and an average of 7,900 home fires started by candles. From 2014-2018, fires caused by candles resulted in an annual average of 81 civilian fire deaths, 677 civilian fire injuries, and $278 million in direct property damage per year.

New York state has the second-most home fire fatalities this year, with 126 deaths, following Pennsylvania with 141. At this time last year, New York had 102 home fire fatalities, the fifth most in the nation.

Keep you and your loved ones safe this holiday by not leaving candles unattended, and turning off all decoration lights when leaving home. Also, if using a live tree to decorate your house, be sure to water it often and place it away from any heating sources to avoid fire risk, Tase said.

Decorating tips:

• Be careful with holiday decorations. Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.

• Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn.

• Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.

• Replace any strings of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections.

• Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged.

• Keep decorations away from windows and doors.

Fire safety tips for your Christmas tree

• Fresh trees are less likely to catch fire, so look for a tree with vibrant green needles that are hard to pluck and don’t break easily from its branches. The tree shouldn’t be shedding its needles readily.

• Always place your tree away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights, and keep the tree base filled with water to avoid a dry-out.

• Make sure all indoor and outdoor Christmas lights have been tested in a lab by the UL or ETL/ITSNA for safety, and throw out any damaged lights.

• Any lights you use outdoors must be labeled suitable for exterior placement, and be sure to plug them into a ground-fault circuit interrupter protected receptacle.

• Keep all your holiday candles away from your Christmas tree, surrounding furniture and décor.

• Don’t forget to turn your Christmas tree lights off each night.