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Some great tips on home safety for the holidays from our friends at Pillar & Post Home Inspection.

SAFE AT HOME

7 Tips For Holiday & Winter Fire Safety

Taking some simple precautions around the home can help keep your family safe during the holidays, especially when it comes to decorating.

  1. Always use non-flammable decorations both indoors and outdoors.
  2. Check holiday light strands for damaged or broken wires and plugs. Enjoy indoor lights only while someone is at home and turn them off before going to bed.
  3. Live Christmas trees should be kept in a water-filled stand and checked daily for dehydration. Dried-out trees are extremely dangerous and should be discarded immediately.
  4. Candles add lovely ambience to your holiday home. Place them in stable holders and keep them away from flammable items, drafts, pets and children.
  5. Children should not have access to or be allowed to use matches, lighters or candles.
  6. Keep space heaters away from bedding, curtains, paper—anything flammable. Never leave a space heater unattended while in use.
  7. Busy with holiday cooking and baking? Kitchen fires are a leading cause of house fires. Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher within easy reach and know how to use it.

HERE’S TO ENJOYING
A HAPPY AND SAFE
HOLIDAY SEASON!

Smoke Alarms 101

Smoke alarms are an important defense against injury, death and property loss in house fires. Nearly two-thirds of home fire fatalities occur in homes with non-working or missing smoke detectors. An early warning can save lives!

  • Smoke alarms should be in installed every bedroom, outside every sleeping area, and on each level of the home.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement. High, peaked ceilings have dead air space at the top, so smoke alarms should be placed no closer than 3 feet from the highest point.
  • Near the kitchen, use an alarm with a “hush button” that will silence nuisance alarms reacting to cooking smoke or steam. Or install a photoelectric alarm which will not be triggered by cooking. Never remove the unit’s battery to stop or prevent nuisance alarms.
  • Test each unit monthly. Put a reminder in your calendar to do this on the first or last day of the month, for example. This is also an ideal time to dust off the unit so that it continues to work properly.
  • Replace the batteries at least once a year. A common rule of thumb is to do this when changing to or from Daylight Saving Time in fall or spring. Many alarms now come with 10-year lithium batteries that eliminate the need for new batteries, but the unit itself must be replaced after its lifespan.