Christmas is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful times of the year. Surrounded by love, family and cosiness it’s hard to imagine anything could go wrong.

Don’t forget – Christmas trees and decorations are festive, fun and flammable. We have compiled a list of important things to be watching out for this Christmas regarding fire safety. Have a flick through them and ensure that you, your family and your pets are safe this Christmas.

Christmas lights

What’s Christmas without lights? They put magic and sparkle into every room turning it into a winter wonderland. They are often very safe to use but it is crucial to follow these general housekeeping rules when using them to ensure you and your family are safe.

1. When putting up your Christmas lights, ensure that they have the British Safety Standard Sign displayed on the packaging. This verifies that they have been manufactured properly and are up to health and safety standards.
2. Always turn off any Christmas lights when leaving the house and before going to bed. The bulbs need time to cool down and if a fire does start you need to be around to deal with it..

Christmas Decorations

There are loads of decorations around ranging from cheap and cheerful, to luxury and special. However, they all run the same risk of burning and they will burn fast. It doesn’t take a lot of heat for these to catch fire so make sure you are following these rules:

1. Don’t hang your decorations between heaters, lights or radiators. This is supplying it with the heat it needs to combust.
2. Make sure that any naked flames are at least 3ft away from decorations. Again, although the flame may not be touching the decoration, it is the heat that can cause combustion.

Candles

Toasty, warm and relaxing. It’s not hard to understand why the UK is obsessed with candles and particularly so at Christmas with the gorgeous scents that are on the market. From advent candles to tea lights, ensure you are doing the following to keep yourself safe.

1. When lighting candles around the house, ensure that they are placed at a safe distance away from any Christmas decorations. It is recommended that all candles are kept 3ft away from flammable objects
2. Never leave a naked flame unsupervised. Should anything happen, you need to be there and act as soon as you can.
3. When placing candles, make sure they are well away from pets.
4. Keep all lighters, matches and flames away from children.

Test your smoke alarms

It is recommended that you test your fire alarms every month to ensure that they are still functioning properly and the batteries are still working,  because of the increased risk at Christmas, take a minute or two to double check. On most smoke alarms, it is simply the case of pressing a button and listening out for the beep. Check with who you bought it from or your landlord if you are not sure where to be checking.

Look after each other

Christmas is a time to look after those around you and spend time with loved ones. If you know anyone who is spending Christmas alone, or if you have any elderly neighbours or relatives, take 10 minutes to pop round to ensure they are safe. The elderly are at greater risk of fire. You can go around and check the following for them:

5. Make sure any decorations or candles up are positioned safely and that nothing is at risk of falling.
6. Test their fire alarm for them. If needed, help them replace the batteries.
7. Ensure they have an emergency number on hand should they need to use it over the holidays.

Cooking

Quite possibly the best part of Christmas is the huge roast dinner with the family. A feast including pigs in blankets, roasted potatoes, turkey and all the trimmings it is likely to require the use of most of your kitchen appliances for most of the morning! With a bustling house, preparation and cooking going on in every corner of the kitchen, it is crucial to make sure that you oversee everything.

1. Plan out what you are going to do before you start cooking to avoid chaos.
2. Keep an eye on everything and don’t forget to use timers.
3. Don’t leave your pans unattended.
4. Be sensible with your xmas tipple while cooking. There is plenty of time to indulge in a few more drinks once the dinner is done!

Safety in the New Year

If you’re interested in finding out more about our fire safety services for your workplace in 2018, follow the link or give us a call on 01666 503686 to speak to an expert member of our team.