Stay Safe This Holiday Season with These Fire Tips

A quick drive around Kelowna shows that Christmas lights and decorations are popping up all over town, but is everyone taking proper care?

The holiday season can be a dangerous one for fires with all the extra lights, candles, and decorations sprinkled around Kelowna homes. We asked Rick Euper, Fire and Life Safety Educator for Kelowna Fire Department, to give us a couple tips to keep everyone safe over the holidays.

Real Christmas trees can be extremely flammable, so make sure you water and maintain them so that they don't dry out. According to Euper, artificial trees are now mostly non-combustible, so they're a bit safer in the home. Another important (though obvious) tip is not to put lit candles on a Christmas tree. They may look pretty and it used to be tradition, but it's an easy way for your tree (and your home) to go up in flames. For lights, make sure to replace any damaged cords. Thankfully now LED lights are more common, which don't have the same heat buildup as incandescent lights.

This is how quickly Christmas trees burn, so do be careful.

Candles tend to come out more in the holiday season, giving a room a gorgeous glow and some memory-inducing fragrances. However, you need to be careful where you put them so that they're away from combustible items (especially Christmas trees) and out of reach of children. Make sure that each candle has a solid plate or pan underneath it and that it can't tip over easily.

Adding to your neighbourhood Twinkle Tour through a merry strand of lights or full show can certainly be festive, but again, you need to be careful. Replace or properly repair any damaged cords and if you're using a stapler, make sure it's the proper style for cords. Also, beware of puncturing the outer insulation of cords when setting up your display. For general safety, don't stand on the top rung of a ladder and make sure to always have someone with you when putting up lights.

Some festive lights around Kelowna. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow)

The big star of holiday dinners can also be a source of danger: a deep fried turkey. Euper says that there haven't been any incidents yet in Kelowna of issues with deep frying turkeys, but if you are planning on trying it out, you need to do your homework. The turkey needs to be dry before it goes in, and be sure to check the oil level so that it doesn't spill over. Deep frying a turkey should be done outside and away from the home, so a carport or garage won't cut it. There's an open flame underneath, so if the oil does spill, you could have a ton of flames to deal with.

Last, but certainly not least, we come to the issue of space heaters. These portable heaters can be fantastic in the chilly weather Kelowna's been experiencing, but they aren't without their hazards. “We just had an incident the other day with a fellow filling one up, a butane style one, indoors, and it started on fire and actually burned the house,” said Euper, referring to the fire on Sunday that destroyed a Rutland home.

Propane convection heater. (Photo Credit: Home Depot)

To avoid repeating this mistake, make sure to fill heaters outdoors in a well-ventilated area. Also, make sure you're using the heater properly while it's indoors. “Space heaters—that's exactly what they are,” says Euper. “They need space. We recommend that there's three feet or one metre clearance from anything that's combustible from the space heaters.” Keep in mind that space heaters are meant to heat the air and not objects such as blankets or boots. Clothing or similar items on top of space heaters to warm up pose a serious fire hazard. “That's not what they're designed to do,” says Euper.

So, with these helpful tips in mind, have fun decorating and celebrating during this holiday season.