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Hillary’s HOLIDAY Home Tips: Holiday Fire Safety
Thanksgiving brings lots of cheer and launches America’s holiday season. However, it's also the time of year when most kitchen and home fires flare up. Fires can be devastating and even deadly, especially when loved ones visit and we share a glass of wine or two, and then turn our backs on our stoves and oven, with that turkey cookin'! Don't be a fire victim!
When these devastating fires occur, they do a great deal of damage and can be deadly for homeowners who try to put them out, instead of leaving the structure for safety! Property losses during a holiday fire are 34% greater than in an average fire, and the number of fatalities per thousand is nearly 70% higher than an average calendar day each year. You can read more at: http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/home-thoughts/holiday-fire-safety-tips/#ixzz1eYJ2kAwY
As most of us know, the holiday season is one of the most dangerous times of the year for household fires. At Servpro of Scarsdale / Mount Vernon, we have comforted and help clean homeowners belongings after these holiday fires--that usually begin in the kitchen at unattended ovens and stovetops.
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) reports that more than double the number of open-flame fires begin on Thanksgiving, with about 400 related deaths in 2010. There are more incidents on Christmas Day, plus the home fires burning from trees in homes that catch fire from electrical sources or proximity to a fireplace or candles by New Year’s Day. Christmas and Chanukah trees dry out in just one month, so keep watering them.
So, take note of these tips to reduce your risk over Thanksgiving weekend, with family over and lots of distractions – and, throughout the holidays and New Year celebrations!:
1. “Thanksgiving can be a whirlwind of cooking and entertaining guests, when there is so much multitasking happening. That’s when fire hazards around the oven or stovetop can easily be overlooked, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building and life safety.
Servpros – like the one that my husband and I own -- also want everyone to be aware of fire safety on “Turkey Day” each year and throughout the holidays, whether you are making meals for two or 20 loved ones.
2. Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and related injuries in the U.S. The NFPA reported that from 2005 through 2009, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 155,400 home fires per year involving cooking equipment. These fires caused an annual average of 390 civilian deaths, 4,800 civilian injuries, and $771 million in direct property damage.
To reduce the risk of cooking fires this holiday, our Servpro joins the NFPA in recommending the following safety tips:
- Keep anything that can catch fire such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains away from the stovetop.
- Always stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling, or broiling food – especially that high temperature turkey! If you have to leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, have someone stay there for you, or just turn off the stove until you return.
- When simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking and use a timer to remind you that food is cooking.
- Stay alert. If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, have someone with you while using a stove, stovetop or grill, in or near your home.
If you have a cooking fire…
- Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
- Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number immediately.
- If you try to fight the fire with an extinguisher or even a hose, be cautious and leave. It’s not worth your life, so be sure others are getting out and you have a clear path out of the home, while someone else calls the fire department.
- Keep a lid nearby when cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it has completely cooled.
- For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
Some other tips for children’s safety ~ from United States Fire Administration (USAF):
* Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three feet away, or more.
*Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids, candles and that your holiday tree lighting is safe throughout the holidays.
* The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
* Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags, and gifts -- then overturn candles or holiday trees.
* Keep knives out of the reach of children.
* Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
* Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
* Never leave children alone in room with a lit a candle.
* Make sure your smoke alarms are working and change them with Daylight Savings time and when we “fall back each year.” Use the Test button monthly.
Last, folks – you don’t want us to have to come and complete a soot and odor remediation, after a fire disaster, do ya’? We hope that you never need us, but you want water certified professionals helping you get back to normal, especially if firefighters have to water suppress the flames to save your home or business. To add insult to injury, water suppressed fires can lead to mold growth on lower levels in 24 - 48 hours, so the soon you call a fire cleanup and remediation company like ours, the better! We work directly with your insurance company and adjuster to make it "Like it never even happend."
A few last facts and tips:
Candles ~ The incidence of candle fires is four times higher during late November and December than during other months. According to the National Fire Protection Association, four of the five most dangerous days of the year for residential candle fires are Christmas/Christmas Eve and New Year’s/New Year’s Eve. (The fifth is Halloween.) To reduce the danger, maintain about a foot of space between the candle and anything that can burn. Set candles on sturdy bases or cover with hurricane globes. Never leave flames unattended. Before bed, walk through each room to make sure candles are blown out. For atmosphere without worry, consider flameless LED candles.
Christmas trees ~ It takes less than 30 seconds for a dry tree to engulf a room in flames, according to the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Standards and Technology. “They make turpentine out of pine trees,” notes Tom Olshanski, spokesman for the U.S. Fire Administration. “A Christmas tree is almost explosive when it goes.” To minimize risk, buy a fresh tree with intact needles, get a fresh cut on the trunk, and water it every day. A well-watered tree is almost impossible to ignite. Keep the tree away from heat sources, such as a fireplace or radiator, and out of traffic patterns. If you’re using live garlands and other greenery, keep them at least three feet away from heating sources. No matter how well the tree is watered, it will start to dry out after about four weeks, Olshanski says, so take it down after the holidays. Artificial trees don’t pose much of a fire hazard; just make sure yours is flame-retardant.
Decorative lights ~ Inspect light strings, and throw out any with frayed or cracked wires or broken sockets. When decorating, don’t run more than three strings of lights end to end. “Stacking the plugs is much safer when you’re using a large quantity of lights,” explains Brian L. Vogt, director of education for holiday lighting firm Christmas Décor. Extension cords should be in good condition and UL-rated for indoor or outdoor use. Check outdoor receptacles to make sure the ground fault interrupters don’t trip. If they trip repeatedly, Vogt says, that’s a sign that they need to be replaced. When hanging lights outside, avoid using nails or staples, which can damage the wiring and increase the risk of a fire. Instead, use UL-rated clips or hangers. And take lights down within 90 days, says John Drengenberg, director of consumer safety for Underwriters Laboratories. “If you leave them up all year round, squirrels chew on them and they get damaged by weather.”
Kids playing with matches ~ The number of blazes—and, tragically, the number of deaths—caused by children playing with fire goes up significantly during the holidays. From January through March, 13% of fire deaths are the result of children playing with fire, the USFA reports; in December, that percentage doubles. So keep matches and lighters out of kids’ reach. “We tend to underestimate the power of these tools,” says Meri-K Appy, president of the nonprofit Home Safety Council. “A match or lighter could be more deadly than a loaded gun in the hands of a small child.”
Fireplaces ~ Soot can harden on chimney walls as flammable creosote, so before the fireplace season begins, have your chimney inspected to see if it needs cleaning. Screen the fireplace to prevent embers from popping out onto the floor or carpet, and never use flammable liquids to start a fire in the fireplace. Only burn seasoned, dry wood—with no wrapping paper as an incendiary. When cleaning out the fireplace, put embers in a metal container and set them outside to cool for 24 hours before disposal.
So, winter’s officially on the way and most of us are cooking for events, putting up a holiday tree and have turned up the heat up at home. However, heating equipment — especially portable space heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves — require careful use, so we don’t have a horrible holiday fire situation. So, be careful and be sure to get those boilers checked! Our Servpro of Scarsdale / Mount Vernon cleans puffbacks, when the boiler goes and emits soot and debris onto every surface of your home through your vents. We’re here, but if you properly maintain your boiler, you won’t need our fire cleanup services.
Contact your local fire station, if you have questions about home fire safety. Also, you can call us if you need a complimentary Disaster Response Plan for fire recovery as an Emergency Plan for your business, or if you have questions about preventing a boiler “puffback,” and especially a kitchen fire at home.
If you ever need help or advice, our home and business visits are complimentary. We hlep you get back to normal, if there is a fire or water damage emergency at your home, or office.
Have a happy, healthy and enjoyable holiday season.
~ Hillary & Forrest Sheperd
Servpro of Scarsdale / Mount Vernon
~ Fire, water & mold remediation
24 hour emergency services
914-699-5181
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