Fire Safety
Christmas Festive Fire Safety: Tips & Advice
Christmas fire safety tips to help those celebrating to have fun safely and responsibly
Fire Safety
Christmas is a special time of year for people to celebrate but it is important to be extra careful of fire hazards this time of year.
According to Scribbler’s 2022 Christmas Tree statistics around 85 percent of UK adults have a Christmas tree in their household each year, so it is important to keep a tree hydrated as a dry tree is highly flammable.
To help ensure you can enjoy Christmas whilst being mindful of the potential fire hazards in the home, here are some other festive safety tips.
Whilst it can be a very enjoyable activity going out choosing a tree, both Christmas trees and decorations are highly flammable and knowing how to prevent this can ensure a safe and fun time to be had for you and your family.
If you do decide to purchase an artificial tree, make sure it is fire-retardant, which will not completely prevent a fire but will mean it will take the flames longer to catch and spread.
A dry Christmas tree can go up in flames fairly easily destroying furniture, walls, and carpets in less than a minute so it is essential you water your tree to prevent this from happening. Keeping your tree watered means that flames won’t catch as fast, allowing more time to put out the fire.
When putting up decorations around the home, and as nice as it is making your tree look special, Christmas decorations are highly flammable. When buying any Christmas lights make sure they are safe to use and carry a British Safety Standard sign to comply with Health and Safety standards in the UK.
Also, remember to unplug fairy lights or other electrical Christmas decorations before you leave the house or go to bed.
With there being a high number of decorations made from flammable substances, it’s important to be careful. Never attach decorations to lights or heaters, keeping them far away from candles.
Finally, make sure not to place decorations or greeting cards directly above fireplaces which can pose significant fire risks.
According to the London Fire Brigade, candles are one of the most common causes of fires in the home.
It is important to keep candles away from anything that may catch fire, and make sure any candles are out of children’s and pet’s reach to reduce the risk of accidents-lastly, never burn a candle in an area where you might fall asleep.
When hosting friends or family this Christmas, it is important to cook safely and responsibly, to help prevent any Christmas fires. Follow these tips to ensure you are going by the best practices.
When preparing the Christmas dinner, it is important to make sure you have a heat alarm installed. A heat alarm in the kitchen will give you a warning of an increase in temperature caused by a fire so it is essential you use heat alarms in your kitchen instead of a smoke alarm.
You can find our newest range of heat alarms to keep you covered in the kitchen this Christmas.
To make sure you can be snug safely and warmly next to your log burner this Christmas, settling down to watch a classic film like Elf or Home Alone, it’s important to store logs away from solid fuel burners, keep clothing and fabric out of reach of flames, and watch out for children or pets.
It is also worth making sure you’re as safe as possible by booking specialist chimney sweeps and using a fireguard to protect against any flying sparks.
Please remember before you pull any crackers or tuck into the turkey to test your smoke alarm to ensure you’ll be protected during all the festivities.
From everyone here at FireAngel we wish you a Merry Christmas.
