Holiday Fire Prevention

10/29/2018 (Permalink)

Don't let fires spoil your family dinner!

The colder months are upon us

With them, come not only the Holidays, but also the time of year when most residential fires occur. SERVPRO of Jackson and DeKalb Counties wants to remind you to not only are safe, but also to prepare an escape plan with your family in the event the unthinkable happens.

Below you will find fire prevention safety tips, as well as a link to FEMA's website that outlines escape plans that you can utilize in your own home. We encourage you to become familiar with the safety tips, but also to forward this email along to family and friends as a loving reminder to be safe. 

Thanksgiving-

Did you know that Thanksgiving is the leading day of the year for residential fires involving cooking equipment?

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop

• Stay in the home when cooking your turkey and check it often

• Never leave an oven on overnight, or while you are sleeping

Christmas-

• When choosing a tree, always make sure to choose one with fresh, green needles that aren't falling off

• Make sure to cut off the bottom 2 inches of the tree. This allows for the tree to stay more hydrated

• Make sure the tree is at least 3 feet away from ANY heat source including ceiling lights

• Heating sources too close to trees cause 1 in every 5 tree fires

• Add water to the tree daily

• Never connect more than 3 strands of lights together

• Only use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory 

• Turn lights off when leaving the home or going to sleep

•  Follow the same cooking rules as stated above for Thanksgiving

General Fire Prevention Tips-

• Have heating sources and chimneys cleaned and inspected annually

• Turn portable heaters off when going to sleep

• Have a sturdy screen in front of your fireplace

• Test smoke alarms monthly

• Extension cords are not meant to be a permanent source of power

• Only plug one cooking source, such as a toaster or microwave into the same outlet