HOLIDAY AND HEATING FIRE SAFETY

Have a warm and worry free Holiday Season with these fire safety tips from the Mississippi State Fire Marshal

Cooking

Stand by Your Pan

Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking. More cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year.

• Be alert if you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol. Don’t use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.

Cooking Fire Safety Videos

• Keep Things Away from Heat
• Keep Kids Away from Cooking Areas
• Prevent Scalds and Burns
• Watch What You Heat
• Know What to Do if There is a Fire

Decorating

Practice the 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS FIRE SAFETY

DAY 1 - Use holiday decorations made with flame-retardant or non-combustible materials.

DAY 2 - Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. Use lights approved by Underwriter’s Laboratories. Do not overload extension cords.

DAY 3 - Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.

DAY 4 - Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

DAY 5 - Never use lit candles to decorate a tree, and make sure any lit candles in the room are place away from tree branches.

DAY 6 - Make sure the tree is not blocking an exit.

DAY 7 - Try to keep live trees as moist as possible by giving them plenty of water daily.

DAY 8 - Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from any heat source.

DAY 9 - Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S.

DAY 10 - When entertaining provide large, deep ashtrays for smokers. Wet cigarette butts with water before discarding.

DAY 11 - After a party, check on, between and under upholstery and cushions for cigarette butts that may be smoldering.

DAY 12 - Take the tree down when it becomes dry. Recycle it, use it as a fish shelter in a farm pond or put it out with the trash. Do not burn it in the fireplace. Heat may explode the wood and set the room on fire.

Heating

Keep your home and family safe and warm

Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires during the months of December, January and February.

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, such as the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable heater.
• Only use heating equipment that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
• Never use your oven for heating.
• Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected annually by a qualified professional.
• Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to avoid the risk of CO poisoning.
• Test smoke alarms and CO2 alarms monthly.

Make and practice a family escape plan. For directions click here.

For more fire safety tips: National Fire Protection Association.