Holiday Fire Safety

11/29/2021 (Permalink)

Practice Holiday Fire Safety

We are entering the five-week period of elevated fire hazards. Thanksgiving Day starts the five week hazard and goes to New Year’s Day.  The top 3 things that cause fires during the holidays are cooking, holiday decorations, and candles. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas are the top days for cooking fires. The top days for candle fires are between Christmas and New Year’s Day. An average of 7,400 fires a year are caused by candles. Holiday decorations caused an average of 790 home fires per year. Fires started by decorations usually start because they are placed too close to a fire source.

Remember to never put water on a grease fire. When using a fryer be sure to follow all manufacturer’s instructions and use outdoors. Using basic safety tips when cooking inside or outside can reduce the risk of a fire or injury. Never overload outlets, power strips, or allow cords to dangle off surfaces.

If you have children in the home, you will need to decorate with them in mind. Small ornaments that are placed on lower branches of tress can cause a choking hazard. Be sure to keep the lights out of their reach. Place exposed cords under a rug to reduce tripping hazards

During the holidays when having overnight guests, you should ensure they are familiar with the family fire escape plan. Have your SERVPRO of the Quad Cities contact information for any emergency fire mitigation needs. Our service is available 24/7 including holidays to ensure your emergency needs are immediately taken care of. The sooner your mitigation begins the less out of pocket cost and more structural damage that can occur. When a fire must be put out by the fire department and water damage has occurred, it only takes 48 hours dwell time to turn into category 2 gray water. Special steps will be necessary to return the structure to a pre loss condition. Category 3 water damage is considered to carry pathogenic agents, grossly unsanitary and will require many steps to return to a livable condition.  Our technicians respond immediately to access the damage and start mitigation before further damage occurs. Trust your local SERVPRO team to provide exceptional customer service by keeping you informed as well as your insurance carrier with mitigation progress.

We at SERVPRO of the Quad Cities wish you and your Family the best of holidays during the next 5 weeks. Remember to practice fire safety and your fire emergency plan with your family and guest.