Deck the halls, don't wreck the halls

COLUMBUS — As Ohioans decorate their homes and prepare for holiday celebrations, the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal is reminding everyone that holiday cheer should never come at the cost of safety. This season, Ohioans are urged to celebrate smart by keeping fire prevention top of mind while decorating. "The holiday season is a time for joy, bit it's also one of the most dangerous months of the year when it comes to home fires," State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon said. "We want families to enjoy the season safely by being mindful of fire risks, especially when it comes to trees, decorations, candles, and heating equipment. This is also an important time to make sure smoke alarms are working properly and families have created — and have practiced — a home escape plan." According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), U.S. fire departments respond to an average of 160 home fires each year that start with Christmas trees. This coincides with a similar spike involving holiday decorations and candles during the month of December. In Ohio last year, 480 home fires were reported during the week of Christmas alone, with 102 of those fires related to cooking and six attributed to Christmas trees. To help Ohio families safely deck the halls, the Division offers the following safety tips. Decorating safety tips • Shine bright with LED lights. For both fresh and artificial trees, LED lights are a safer option than traditional incandescent holiday lights as they use 75-90% less electricity and produce less heat. • Inspect your lights. Each year, take a moment to closely check light strands for frayed or pinched wires and discard any damaged sets. Ensure your lights have been tested by a recognized laboratory like Underwriters Laboratories (UL). You can verify this by looking for the "UL" mark on the product or its packaging. • Be cautious with outdoor lights. When decorating outdoors, only use lights designed for outdoor use, secure them properly, and connect them to a ground fault interrupter circuit. • Enjoy circuit-savvy celebrations. To avoid overloading electrical circuits, do not connect too many light strands together and avoid using frayed or cracked extension cords. • Have silent nights with unplugged lights. Always make sure to turn off lights and other electrical decorations when you go to bed or leave the house. Consider using a timer or an app-based smart switch. • Tend to your Tannenbaum. Ensure live Christmas trees stay fresh by making a new cut at bottom of the trunk after you purchase them and watering them daily. This will help to prevent the trees from drying out, which is important because dry trees can burn very hot and very fast. In addition, make sure trees are in a secure base, and dispose of a tree promptly once it becomes dry. An easy way to tell if your tree is too dry is if it has brittle needles that snap when bent, excessive needle loss if you shake the tree, or if its color is fading. • Use candles with care. Consider using battery-operated candles this season instead of ones that use actual flames. If using real candles, make sure they are in stable holders and located away from all flammable materials. • Think three feet of safety. Make sure trees and decorations are located at least three feet away from all heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles and heating vents. The holidays are a time for families to gather and celebrate. Many times, the kitchen becomes a hub of activity. Because of this, cooking safety and smoke alarm maintenance is critical to keeping your friends and loved ones safe. Cooking safety tips • Stay in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop. Unattended cooking is the top cause of kitchen fires. • Keep flammable items like towels, oven mitts, and food packaging away from burners. • Turn pot handles inward to prevent spills and burns. • Keep children and pets at least three feet away from cooking areas, especially when playing. Smoke alarms and escape planning • Test smoke alarms on every level of your home and replace batteries if needed. • Install alarms inside and outside sleeping areas and ensure everyone in the home knows what they sound like. • Create and practice a home fire escape plan with two ways out of every room. "Working smoke alarms and a practiced escape plan can mean the difference between life and death," Reardon added. "We want every Ohioan to enjoy the holidays safely and that can be accomplished by taking just a few minutes to complete some basic, but important, fire safety steps." For more holiday fire safety tips and resources, visits our Deck the Halls, Don't Wreck the Halls holiday resource at com.ohio.gov/HolidayFireSafety.