By Mike Causey, Guest Columnist
We’ve finished off the Thanksgiving Day leftovers. December has arrived. The first day of winter and Christmas Day are less than a month away.
Many families who haven’t already done so will soon be driving to their favorite market or Christmas tree lot to bring home a pine, cedar or Fraser fir to decorate and lift their spirits during the holidays. Others may opt for an artificial tree to help make the season brighter.
While we all love the sight of a beautifully decorated tree, if we’re not careful, Christmas trees can become a fire hazard in our own home. If we keep safety in mind while we’re buying and decorating our trees, we can minimize the risk of potential danger from our Christmas trees.
To help keep your holiday merry and bright, follow these safety tips:
- Make sure the tree is fresh. The trunk should be sticky to the touch and branches should not easily snap when you bend them.
- Shake the tree and make sure not many loose needles fall off as a result.
- Before bringing your tree indoors, make a one-half inch to one-inch fresh cut on the bottom of trunk and let it stand in a bucket of water outside for 12 hours before bringing indoors and placing in its stand.
- Check the water in the tree stand daily. Make sure the tree isn’t blocking any exits and keep it at least three feet away from heat vents or other heat sources.
- Artificial trees should be labeled, certified or identified by the manufacturer as fire-retardant.
- Use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory.
- Make sure all decorations are flame-retardant or flame-resistant.
- Do not overload extension cords and electrical outlets.
- Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords, or loose bulb connections.
- Connect no more than three strands of mini-string lights together at one time.
- Never use lit candles to decorate the tree.
- Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving the home or going to bed.
- Dried-out trees are a fire hazard and should not be left in the home.
Buying and keeping your trees fresh throughout the season is a key to reducing the chances of your tree catching on fire. That’s important because trees can become fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, then ignite everything in the path of the flames.
Christmas tree fires ignite when needles become brittle because of under-watering.
Electrical problems are the source of nearly half of all Christmas tree fires. That’s why it’s important to not overload extension cords and make sure the electrical cords are in good shape.
Candles or heating equipment placed near a tree can also cause the tree to catch on fire.
These are just a few simple things you can do to make sure you and your family are safe during the Christmas season.
Mike Causey is the insurance commissioner of North Carolina.