Fire Safety This Christmas

Fire Safety This Christmas

It’s December and now Christmas is well on its way! ❄️🎄

This means it’s a good time to start thinking about Christmas safety! When you think of Christmas safety your mind might go straight to snow and ice hazards, commonly associated with the Christmas season. But an often overlooked part of staying safe over the holidays is fire safety.

With Christmas comes Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, Christmas lights, candles and all the rest. All of these things are a big part of getting into the festive spirit, but they can also pose unique fire risks not present throughout the rest of the year. So in the lead up to this Christmas we want to share our top fire safety tips to stay safe over the holidays and make sure your Christmas break goes off without a hitch!

In this article we will cover:

  • Christmas trees safety tips
  • Christmas lights safety tips
  • Candles safety tips
  • Christmas cooking safety tips
  • Bonus tip
  • The real solution

Christmas Trees 🎄

Christmas trees are a quintessential part of Christmas, being the first thing many people will think of when you mention Christmas. However, they do pose one key and fairly obvious fire risk; Christmas trees are very flammable. A Christmas tree can be quite large, taking up a decent amount of space, and if potential sources of ignition are left unchecked, this can quickly lead to a fire.

Our tips for non-artificial Christmas trees:

  • Make sure that candles, hot lights or other sources of ignition are kept away from your Christmas tree
  • Dry trees are especially flammable, make sure your tree is fresh when you buy it
  • Regularly water your tree to keep it healthy and happy, this will help stop it from becoming dry and more flammable

Artificial trees are generally less flammable than non-artificial trees, however they can still pose a risk. Some products are better vetted than others and it is always worth making sure your tree meets the appropriate safety standards. The cheapest option isn’t always the best option; if a deal looks too good to be true, it might be!

Our tips for artificial Christmas trees:

  • Ensure your tree complies with British Safety Standards, usually indicated by a BSI kitemark, a CE mark or a UKCA mark
  • A buildup of dust from being stored away from last year can increase flammability, give your tree a wipe down when taking it out of storage
  • Consider buying a fire-retardant tree for an additional guarantee of fire safety

Christmas Lights💡

Christmas lights add that finishing touch that makes it really feel like Christmas, but it’s important to make sure that your lights are in good condition. Faulty Christmas lights can be a serious fire risk and a potential source of ignition.

Our top tips for fire safe Christmas lights are:

  • Use certified lights with the British Standard, a CE mark or a UKCA mark
  • Inspect your lights for any visible damage or faults and replace broken lights
  • Avoid overloading by connecting too many lights into one socket
  • Avoid attaching decorations to lights, heat from the lights can cause the ignition of easily flammable decorations
  • Turn lights off when not in use, especially before going to bed

Candles🕯️

Candles add that lovely bit of ambiance that artificial lights just can’t provide, and for many, Christmas is the time of year to get out your decorative candles. December is also the time for Hanukkah where many candles will be lit in ceremony. This probably goes without saying, but candles do also present an obvious fire risk as a source of ignition.

Our tips for candles:

  • Keep candles well away from your Christmas tree, Christmas decorations, wrapping paper and other flammable materials
  • Use a stable non-flammable candle holder to help support the candle and prevent it falling off its stand
  • Never leave candles unattended, make sure to blow out candles before leaving a room or going to bed
  • Consider using battery candles if you are happy to, as they are much safer

Christmas Cooking 🍳

Christmas cooking is one of the most important points to address. Many people would point to Christmas dinner as their favourite part Christmas. There’s a lot to consider when preparing your Christmas dinner; there’s the recipe, the ingredients, timing your Christmas shop to get all the essentials before the mad Christmas rush and scheduling in the cooking on the actual day. However, the fire risks aren’t often considered.

The reason Christmas cooking is the most important point in this article is because, as outlined by the London Fire Brigade “Around 60% of fires in the home start in the kitchen”. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue also explain “Kitchen fires are the leading cause of accidental dwelling fire in the country”. This means your kitchen is most likely the area with the highest fire risk in your home. Add onto this the pandemonium of preparing a massive, time sensitive feast for Christmas Day and you can see why some fire safety precautions might be worth considering.

There are many potential hazards in the kitchen: ovens, air fryers, deep fryers and other cooking appliances all provide heat sources that can cause ignition. Cooking appliances can also present a risk due to potential electrical faults. While kitchen fires are the leading cause of accidental dwelling fires, there is a silver lining… Accidental fires are very preventable!

So here are some of our top tips for preventing fires in the kitchen:

  • Never leave cookers, air fryers or other cooking equipment unattended while in use
  • Put anything flammable such as tea towels, oven mitts, paper towels, etc, out of the way of heat sources & cooking appliances where they could catch fire
  • Avoid cooking while impaired. Cooking while tired, drowsy from medication or drunk can easily lead to mistakes or falling asleep (leaving cooking appliances unattended)
  • A buildup of fat and grease can provide fuel for a fire, make sure to clean your oven, hob, extractor fan and any other cooking appliances before use
  • Unplug electronic cooking appliances like air fryers when they are not in use
  • Make sure that all cables for electronic kitchen appliances like air fryers and kettles are kept away from heat sources to avoid cables burning or electrical malfunctions
  • Once you have finished in the kitchen double check that all hobs, ovens and cooking appliances are properly turned off

Bonus tip:

The elderly have a greater risk of fire, so make sure to pop in and check on your older relatives and neighbours this Christmas!

The Real Solution

By following all of the tips above you can largely reduce the risks of fire in your home. However, life is unpredictable, especially when children are involved. It’s impossible to completely eradicate the risk of fire. This is why we always highly recommend that you have a fire alarm in your home.

Fire alarms are a lifesaving essential for any home. According to the Humberside Fire & Rescue Service, “You are twice as likely to survive a fire at home if you have a working smoke alarm”. If you don’t have any fire alarms already, it is absolutely worth getting some. You can never get rid of the risk of fire entirely, but you can ensure that you are as equipped as possible to respond in the event of a fire and safely evacuate everyone from the building. Fire alarms are also just as important in the workplace as they are in your home. They can warn staff when they need to evacuate and ensure your workplace is compliant. It is also important to test your fire alarm regularly and so you can be confident it is in working order and you are prepared for an emergency.

Interested in bolstering your fire safety? Check out our Firechief Home Fire & Safety Alarm System Bundle. This bundle contains all the essentials you need to get your home fire safe. A good range of heat, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms helps protect you from some of the top safety risks in your home.

Bundle Contains:

  • 1 x Firechief 10 year Battery Wireless Carbon Monoxide Alarm
  • 1 x Firechief 10 year Battery Wireless Heat Alarm
  • 3 x Firechief 10 year Battery Wireless Smoke Alarm

At Fire & Safety Centre we believe in providing the best products at reasonable prices. Like we mentioned in the tips above, you should make sure your products comply to the relevant regulations to ensure you have a safe and reliable product. This is especially true for fire safety products where lives are on the line. That’s why we are proud to say we only supply the best and all our alarms meet the appropriate regulations to give you peace of mind.

Certifications:

  • Firechief 10 year Battery Wireless Carbon Monoxide Alarm – SGS certified to EN50291-1:2018
  • Firechief 10 year Battery Wireless Heat Alarm – BSI Kitemarked to BS 5446-2:2003
  • Firechief 10 year Battery Wireless Smoke Alarms – BSI Kitemarked to BS EN 14604:2005 and AC:2008

For more details you can visit Firechief Home Fire & Safety Alarm System Bundle, call us at 01724 281044 or send an email to sales@fireandsafetycentre.co.uk.

In the meantime, Fire & Safety Centre would like to wish you a safe and very merry Christmas and a happy new year!