PA State Fire Commissioner Encourages Fire Safety During the Holidays
Posted on: Wednesday, 13 December 2006, 18:00 CST
HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Decorating your home for the holidays is well under way and the State Fire Commissioner's Office is urging Pennsylvanians to be aware of the fire hazards decorations can cause and to take steps to prevent fires.
"The added decorations around your house are potentially dangerous and could contribute to a disastrous holiday," said Fire Commissioner Edward A. Mann. "Your holiday decorations should be nonflammable or flame-retardant and placed away from heat sources. If you have an artificial tree, it is extremely important that the tree is flame-retardant.
"Each year, fires during the holiday season injure 1,600 people and cause more than $900 million in damage across the country," said Mann. "By practicing some simple precautionary measures, individuals can greatly reduce their chances of becoming a holiday-fire casualty."
Mann offered the following safety tips: 1 Select a fresh, green-cut Christmas tree or buy a live tree to plant after the holiday; 2 Bounce the tree on the ground. If many needles fall off, the tree has been cut too long, has probably dried out and is a fire hazard; 3 Do not place your tree close to heat sources, including fireplaces, stoves, heaters and heat vents. The heat will dry out the tree, causing it to be more easily ignited by heat, flames or sparks. Do not smoke near a tree; 4 Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as UL or ETL/ITSNA. Use only newer lights that have thicker wiring and are required to have safety fuses to prevent the wires from overheating; 5 Turn off all holiday lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short and start a fire; 6 Keep lighted candles away from items that can burn easily, such as trees, other evergreens, decorations, curtains and furniture; 7 Always extinguish candles after use; and 8 Do not burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. Wrappings can ignite suddenly and burn intensely, resulting in a flash fire.
In addition, Mann reminded Pennsylvanians to have working smoke alarms installed on every level of their home; test them monthly; and keep them equipped with fresh batteries at all times. In case of a fire, know when and how to call for help. Practice home escape plans and never re-enter a burning building for any reason.
For more information about fire safety, visit the Office of the State Fire Commissioner Web site at http://www.osfc.state.pa.us/.
CONTACT: Maria A. Finn, Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner, +1-717-651-2009.
Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner
CONTACT: Maria A. Finn, Pennsylvania Office of the State FireCommissioner, +1-717-651-2009
Web site: http://www.osfc.state.pa.us/
Source: PRNewswire
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