Be safe at home during the holidays

State Fire Marshal Randy Simpson urges everyone to follow a few important fire safety tips to help ensure Christmas trees and other decorations are kept away from sources of heat. From 2004 through 2008 Oregon residential fires related to Christmas trees and decorative lighting resulted in nine injuries and an estimated $1.6 million in property loss. Sources of heat causing these fires included open flames, overloaded wiring, heaters, woodstoves and fireplaces.

"During the holidays, anticipated joy turns to unexpected grief and loss for those hit by residential fires," cautions Simpson. "While people love the smell and look of fresh trees and holiday decorations, this vegetation may become a serious fire hazard. Once ignited, a dry tree may be engulfed by flame in as fast as fifteen seconds and the heat will ignite other items in the room."

Remember these tree care and decoration tips:

• Choose a fresh, healthy tree with a deep-green color and flexible needles.
• Water daily. A tree may consume between a quart and a gallon of water per day.
• Place the tree at least three feet away from any heat source such as a fireplace, woodstove, heating duct or radiator.
• Keep lighted candles away from the tree.
• Use only non-combustible or flame resistant materials to trim a tree.
• Always unplug tree lights before leaving home or going to bed.
• If using a woodstove or fireplace, keep it screened at all times.
• Keep ribbons, boughs and other decorative materials at least three feet away.
• After the holiday season, promptly dispose of the tree and other greenery before it dries out.
• Burning a tree in a stove or fireplace is dangerous; proper disposal includes recycling or pick-up by disposal service.

General fire safety

• Make sure you have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, outside each sleeping area, and in each bedroom.
• Make a home fire escape plan and practice it with the whole family.
• Keep escape routes clear of clutter so you can escape quickly in case of fire.

 

Children & Fire Life-Saving Tips

• Keep matches, lighters and other ignitables in a secured drawer or cabinet out of the reach of children.
• Teach your children to tell you when they find matches and lighters.
• Always dress children in pajamas that meet federal flammability standards. Avoid dressing children for sleep in loose-fitting 100-percent cotton garments, such as oversized T-shirts.
• Teach children not to hide from firefighters, but to get out quickly and call for help from another location.
• Show children how to crawl low on the floor, below the smoke, to get out of the house and stay out.
• Demonstrate how to stop, drop to the ground, and roll if clothes catch fire.
• Develop and practice a home fire escape plan and designate a meeting place outside. Get out and stay out.
• Familiarize children with the sound of your smoke alarm.
• Replace mattresses made prior to the 2007 Federal Mattress Flammability Standard.
• Check under beds and in closets for burnt matches, evidence your child may be playing with fire.
• For more fire safety information for young children, visit www.usfaparents.gov.

Fire prevention information is also available from your local structural fire protection service provider, and the Oregon State Fire Marshal.