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At CPL t/a Rainbow Restoration, we see first-hand the fire and smoke damage caused in both homes and commercial properties over the festive period. With this in mind, here are some tips to reduce the risk of Christmas fire and keep you, your family and your guests safe.
Did you know that 2.7% of the population has suffered an electric shock due to badly wired Christmas lighting? A big fire safety tip for this Christmas period is to make sure that you don’t overload plug sockets or extension leads if using mains powered lights. Alternatively, consider using battery powered lights instead, as these pose a very minimal risk of fire.
It’s also essential to check the condition of your lighting when decorating for the festivities. If you spot signs of fraying or damage, make sure to dispose of the lights and purchase some new lights, ensuring that they conform to the British Standard BS EN 60598. This is the common safety standard for lights, so you’ll want to make sure that your decorations are compliant!
Whichever Christmas lights you choose to decorate with, be sure that they are not touching anything made of paper, such as homemade Christmas decorations, as these can easily catch fire.
You can read our full guide to battery powered Christmas lighting safety here.
A Christmas tree fire can take less than one minute to destroy a room, as shown as part of the Fire Kills campaign, so its location needs to be carefully chosen. Here are our Christmas tree fire safety tips to help you avoid a fire:
· If a tree has been cut for too long, it has probably dried out and a dry tree is a fire hazard. It is best not to put your real tree up too early as it should not be up for longer than 2 weeks, and it should be kept watered to prevent drying out.
· Don’t place your tree next to a source of heat, such as a fireplace or a heat vent. The heat will dry the tree out and make it more susceptible to being ignited by a spark or flame.
· Never put tree branches or needles in a fireplace or a wood burner. A real tree is best taken to a recycling centre or collected by a community Christmas tree pickup scheme.
According to Direct Line, over 1,000 home insurance claims for house fires are caused by candles each year. The London Fire Brigade also reported that over 200 fires involved candles last year and recommend using flameless LED candles as a safer alternative.
To reduce the fire risk of candles over the festive period, here are some Do’s and Don’ts:
DO:
DON’T:
A staggering 400,000 Christmas turkeys are burnt every year and 600,000 burning themselves roasting chestnuts on an open fire, according to the National Accident Helpline.
When cooking a Christmas dinner, there are many dishes to think about and multi-tasking can increase the likelihood of carelessness which leads to Christmas fires. These fires can occur from overheating oil which creates a grease fire, leaving pots and pans unattended, having a cluttered kitchen and leaving the oven unattended or forgotten about whilst not using timers.
A simple Christmas fire safety tip for your kitchen is to keep things as decluttered as you can, giving you more space to work with and reducing the spread of fire. Setting timers will also help you keep track of what’s in the oven and hopefully alleviate some of the Christmas cooking stress too!
If in the event of a Christmas fire, it is important that the clean-up begins as soon as possible to minimise the lasting damage. Our fire and smoke damage cleaning team are available on a 24/7 call out, even during the festive period for emergencies and we work quickly and effectively to restore your home or business. We cover the South East of England including Sussex, Surrey, Kent & London.
For further information about our range of fire and smoke damage clean up and restoration services, please contact us on freephone 0800 030 4360.
We hope you have a safe, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!