Home Fire Safety Tips for the Hectic Holiday Season

Did you know that December and January are the peak months for home fires? The hectic Holiday season has our minds and bodies going in several directions at once. There are things to do, places to go, people to see, Holiday dinners to attend and Holiday dinners to host. It’s during the hectic Holiday season that home fire safety rarely crosses our minds. December and January are the peak months for home fires for that very reason, our hectic Holiday schedule causes us to become lax in home fire safety.

Here are some home fire safety tips that will help you literally burn the candle at both ends and not start a home fire.

We all love to burn candles during the Holiday season to add ambiance and aroma to our home. There’s nothing like lighted candles on the Holiday dinner table, the fireplace mantle or other strategic locations throughout our homes, but take extra caution with lighted candles during the Holidays. Unattended burning candles are always a home fire safety issue, more especially during the hectic Holiday season. For home fire safety, never burn candles near anything flammable. The hectic Holiday season usually has gift paper and paper wrapped gifts strewn around, along with other Holiday decor’. Be sure candles are not too close to these items and always extinguish the candles when you leave the room.

The kitchen is the number one area where home fires start, with unattended cooking being the number cause of home fires. For home fire safety, if you have something cooking on the stove or in the oven, stay in the kitchen. While that is easier said than done during the hectic Holiday season and you absolutely must leave the kitchen for a few minutes, take a timer with you to remind you when your few minutes are up.

A roaring fire in the fireplace is wonderful to relax by during the hectic Holiday season. Home fire safety for using a fireplace during the Holiday season includes not burning anything in the fireplace except hardwood or special man-made logs. Don’t burn gift wrap, paper or boxes in the fireplace.

Give your smoke detector a test during the hectic Holiday season. If you adhere to home fire safety recommendations, you probably have already tested and changed the batteries in your smoke detectors this year, but take a few moments and give the smoke detectors a second test just to be safe.

Follow these home fire safety tips and have a fire-free Holiday season.