With the holiday’s taking place the Naperville Fire Department has some safety tips for a fun and safe celebration.
Cozy fires, cooking for crowds, and holiday décor are all signs of the season. But as you deck the halls of your home, the Naperville Fire Department (NFD) wants to make sure you’re being safe.
Candle Safety
Candles add a warm glow, but if not watched, can become a problem.
“If they’re not monitored and they burn down & fall over or drip onto something that’s flammable like a wooden cabinet or something flammable on top of the cabinet, that’s when we get fires from candles & we’ve had those in the past,” said Scott Salela, Division Chief of Support Services for the NFD.
The simple solution: blow them out when you leave the room, or your house.
Caring For Christmas Trees
Christmas trees also add some holiday spirit. But a live tree, if not cared for, can become a hazard. Salela says to make sure to keep a steady water supply for your tree. Once the holiday season ends and the tree starts to get dry, properly dispose of it, rather than letting it sit in your home for too long.
Don’t Overload Power Cords
Then there’s the matter of lights.
“Sometime people overdo it with some of the Christmas decorations and the lights and overload power cords, and we just remind you to check the manufacturer’s recommendations on how many strands you can plug in. The newer LED ones are a lot better than the old ones used to be, but always make sure that you don’t have too many plugged in, and always plug them in to a power strip or a surge protector,” said Salela.
Most importantly, when you leave your home or go to bed, turn everything off and unplug it all.
Holiday Cooking Safety
And holiday meal prep can sometimes cause a hazard as well.
“You know people are using bigger pans or aluminum pans and have grease fires and different things like that so we just ask you to be careful and make sure you use proper equipment.”
Proper Fireplace Protocol
Proper fireplace protocol is also important. Have your chimney cleaned periodically, and if you do start a fire, make sure the flue is open.
“We do get several calls a year where people start a fire and the flue isn’t open all the way and then all the smoke backs up into their house,” Salela said.
Using Spaceheaters
And if you’re using a spaceheater to stay warm, it should be plugged directly into a wall, rather than an extension cord. Just like Christmas lights, those should be turned off before going to bed or leaving your home.
Check Those Smoke Detectors
Salela hopes everyone did one solid safety move before the season even started.
“In October we just turned the clocks back so hopefully everybody changed their smoke detector battery and all your smoke detectors are working properly. And CO detectors in the house, and that will help keep you safe as well.”
For Naperville News 17, I’m Kim Pirc.
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