4 keys to preventing holiday accidents

Safely hang holiday lights because the only bright lights you don’t want to see are on an ambulance! The Consumer Safety Product Safety Commission reported that in 2017 over 14,000 people visited the Emergency Room for treatment for injuries sustained while decorating. This number jumped to over 17,000 in 2018. And in 2019, six people died from decorating falls.

Decorate safely by hiring a professional company to install lights. If you must hang decorations with a ladder, be safe on your ladder and have someone hold the ladder to secure it. Do not over extend your reach; instead descend the ladder safely and then move the ladder to a new location to hang more decorations. Remember to always keep three points of contact on a ladder.

2. Prevent holiday fires

The holidays are an especially dangerous times for house fires. With common sense and extra vigilance, you can seriously diminish the chances for a house fire. In a report from the National Fire Protection Association, between 2014-2018 Christmas decorations caused over seven hundred fifty fires, thirty injuries, two deaths and over $11 million in property damages.

Christmas tree fires are a prime culprit of deadly fires and over fifty percent of these fires result from faulty lights and candle decorations. The statistics clearly show this as one in thirty-two Christmas tree fires cause deaths as compared to only one death in one hundred forty-two non-Christmas tree fires.

Candle fires outnumber Christmas tree fires by a ten to one factor. One study shows that from 2015 to 2017 there were 100 Christmas tree fires and over 1,075 candle fire during the holidays. These fires resulted in over $50 million in property damage, one hundred sixty injuries and nearly twenty deaths.

Use only UL approved tree lights and turn them off when you are not home or are asleep. Keep candles away from anything flammable, watch them carefully and extinguish them when you are not around. Use battery operated candles instead.

3. Prepare for Fire.

Replace your fire alarm batteries and test the alarms regularly. Conduct fire drills and ensure everyone knows where to gather outside the house. In the event of a fire, exit the house and do not re-enter until your home is declared safe by the fire department.

Buy approved fire extinguishers and keep them readily available. Teach all occupants how to use them with the acronym “P.A.S.S.”:

P. — Pull the safety pin

A. — Aim at the base of the fire

S. — Spray back and forth

S. — Stand ready to spray it again if it reignites.

If the fire gets out of hand — get out of the house.

4. Cook safely.

Cooking fires are the top cause of home fires. In case of a grease fire, DO NOT throw water on it because this will spread it. Try to turn off the stove, remove the pan from the heat and put a lid on the pan. Douse the pan with salt or flour to extinguish the flame or use your fire extinguisher. If it gets out of hand, clear the house.

Every year over 100,000 scalding and burning incidents are reported. So, keep children and pets away from the stove or turkey deep fryer to prevent serious and life-altering injuries.

The holiday season should be a fun time to make memories that last a lifetime, so begin taking holiday safety more seriously today!

Reen Waterman is a freelance writer and newspaper columnist with his weekly column “About the House.” He writes and co-hosts a daily radio program heard in 91 countries at www.YourRefreshedLife.com. An avid outdoorsman, Waterman is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the American Writers and Artists Institute.