The fire statistics during the holiday season is not something to take lightly. According to the American Red Cross, approximately 47,000 fires occur during the holiday season costing more than 500 lives, 2,200 injuries and more than $500 million in property damage. A time of joy can be turned into a tragedy if we do not take the necessary steps to make our families safe. Christmas trees, Christmas lights, and candles used during the holiday season have to be used properly in order to reduce the possibility of a fire in your home. If you haven’t check your smoke detectors lately, it is imperative to do so now. Having a working smoke detector decreases your chances of injury in case of a fire.
For more about this and other safety tips follow the links below.
IEMA highlights safety during the holidays
SPRINGFIELD – If you’re trying to find the perfect holiday gifts for everyone on your list, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is offering ideas that will help your loved ones stay safe when disaster strikes.
IEMA is focusing on holiday safety throughout December as part of its annual preparedness campaign.
“As we saw with the flooding last December, disasters can happen at any time and without much warning,” said IEMA Director James Joseph. “Giving friends and loved ones items that will help them be better prepared for the unexpected shows how much you care about their safety.”
Joseph said preparedness gift ideas include the following:
-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather alert radio with battery backup, a tone-alert feature and Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) technology. These radios provide warnings and critical post-event information for tornadoes and other severe weather, natural, environmental and public safety hazards.
10 SAFETY TIPS FOR PREVENTING HOLIDAY FIRES, KEEP YOUR HOME SAFE
WRONGLY USED LIGHTS OR OVERCHARGED EXTENSION CHORDS CAN CAUSE HOLIDAY FIRES.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially since people have started taking out their holiday decorations. While the whole holiday vibe is warming our hearts, firefighters are advising caution as during the holiday season the number of electrical fires, or holiday fires, goes through the roof.
There are a few easy tricks that will help you keep you and your family safe during this holiday season. A simple feat as knowing the difference between indoor and outdoor lights can protect you from a possible fiery disaster.
Firefighters say that the most frequent fires start because people use indoor lights to decorate the outside of the house. Manufacturers usually mention on the box if the lights can be used outdoors as well as indoors. However, if the information is not on the packed, just check the UL code. If the code is red, then the lights can be safely used outside if it is green, the lights are meant for indoor use only.
Kitchen safety: How to keep your family safe during the holidays
It’s the scene in a Rockwell painting: The family is over for Thanksgiving and the house is crawling with rug rats. Friends, family and food create a heartfelt and festive environment — a shield of warmth against the shivering temperatures outside.
But with the bustle of bodies come potential dangers. So many bodies in the kitchen can create conditions that don’t happen the rest of the year, and children often want to be where everyone else is: right around the stove.
Nobody wants to spend the last half of the holidays in the hospital, caring for the child with burns all over his body. No parent wants to even imagine little Johnny pulling the oven door down, stepping up, and causing burning grease to spill.
If you prefer to keep your family safely cocooned inside your home for the holidays, here are just a few tips to help you do just that.
