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Tips to Help Prevent 2004-2005 Winter Holiday Burns

Electrical lights, trees

• Keep holiday electrical decorations and lights away from children and pets.
• Holiday decorations should be non-combustible or made of flame resistant or flame retardant materials.
• Only use space heaters, electrical lights and appliances that have been approved by an independent testing laboratory. Follow manufacturers’ directions.
• Inspect all lights before plugging them in; even if they are new.
• Do not overload electrical outlets or extension cords.
• Unplug all Christmas tree lights before you leave the house or go to bed.
• Position live trees away from fireplaces, space heaters and radiators.
• Keep a clear path in all rooms in case you have to exit quickly. Gift wrapping, boxes, mail shipments can crowd up the room.

Space Heaters

• Vented heaters still require ventilation.
• Make sure the heater is designed for the size of the room you wish to heat. Indoor pollutants can be produced with a wrong-sized heater.
• An unvented fuel-burning space heater must not be used in a room with closed doors.
• Be sure that your space heater meets new safety standards of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/463.html
• Locate space heaters on a hard, level surface where a child or family pet cannot brush up against them.
• Make sure there is a guard around the heating element or flame area of the device.
• Never put a space heater on a carpet or rug.
• Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from furniture or other combustible material.
• Never leave a space heater on when an adult is not present in the room.
• Do not go to sleep with a space heater turned on. Carbon monoxide levels could rise with fuel-fired heaters.
• Portable heaters should have an automatic shut-off.
• Never keep flammable liquids near a space heater.
• Mobile homes should use only vented fuel-fired or electric heaters.

Cooking

• Monitor pots and pans on the stove so that liquids do not boil over.
• Turn pot and pan handles inward on the stovetop so children cannot reach them and pull them down.
• Use the back burners to cook when young children are in the home.

Bathing

• The safest bathing temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Your home water heater should be set no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Monitor the temperature of children’s bathwater to avoid scalds.
• Always turn on the cold water first. Then you can add hot water.
• Adult supervision is very important for children in the bathtub. Kids could turn on the hot water by accident.

Other

• Test smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors weekly.
• A professional should inspect chimneys as well as kerosene and gas space heaters each year.

Sources:
Loyola University Health System
American Burn Association
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
National Fire Protection Association