Christmas
More people die from house fires over Christmas and New Year than at any other time. All too often these fires could have been avoided, a moment's carelessness and a family is left with a Christmas present they did not want and a Christmas they will never forget.
In order to ensure you have a safe and happy Christmas follow these Fire Safety Precautionary Do's and Don'ts.
Do
- Do make sure that all decorations, including the tree, are flame retardant.
- Do be extremely careful with lighted candles.
- Do have the chimney swept before lighting an open fire.
- Do put a spark guard around open fires.
- Do switch off portable heaters when you go out.
- Do fit the correctly rated fuse into electrical plugs and use a good quality adaptor fitted with a fuse to plug Christmas lights into the power socket.
- Do take extra care where people are smoking and drinking.
- Do empty all ashtrays (first making sure the contents are cold) and make sure that cigarettes, cigars and pipes are fully extinguished.
- Do clear wrapping paper away when presents have been opened, but be careful when disposing of wrapping paper. If you throw it onto an open fire, you risk setting the chimney on fire.
Don't
- Don't place the Christmas tree too close to open fires, portable heaters or radiators.
- Don't trail electric flexes from tree lights, etc. across floors or place under carpets or mats (they may easily become frayed and catch fire as well as presenting a trip hazard).
- Don't put Christmas cards, stockings or decorations above an unguarded open fire or space heater.
- Don't leave the Christmas lights on unattended for long periods or when you leave the property.
- Don't use party poppers, silly string or other party streamers where there are naked flames from candles, fires, etc.
- Don't place Christmas presents too close to Christmas tree lights, heaters or fires. The radiated heat could quite easily catch them alight.