News Date:
Thursday, December 12, 2019
There’s lots to love about winter - Christmas decorations, spending time with family and friends and some of us even like snow! It’s exciting, but there are a few extra things to remember to make sure we stay safe throughout the festivities.
Malcolm Burden, our resident fire safety officer has put together his top Christmas safety tips:
- Decorations and cards can burn easily. Keep them away from fires, candles and other heat sources such as lights.
- Never leave burning candles unattended, and don’t put them near your Christmas tree or other decorations.
- Always unplug Christmas lights and blow out candles when you leave the house or go to bed.
- Keep yourself safe from scams if you’re shopping online. Make sure you buy from trusted companies that you know are genuine. It’s a good idea to check the site you’re visiting is secure, this is usually indicated by ‘HTTPS’ in the browser bar and a small padlock symbol – this usually means the information you share with them is secure.
- Drive safely. If you’re going out and drinking, leave the car at home. If you’re making long distance journeys, make sure you’re prepared for bad weather and take plenty of breaks so you’re not driving tired.
- If you’re cooking Christmas dinner, give yourself plenty of time and space. Be aware of hot fat, boiling water and sharp knives, and make sure the kitchen isn’t too crowded. Wipe up any spills quickly to reduce the risk of slips.
- Use Christmas as a reminder to clean and check your smoke alarms. To remove dust, use a vacuum cleaner extension to make sure it sucks the dust and doesn’t blow it further in. If your smoke alarm isn’t working, contact us urgently. The repairs will be treated as a priority to keep you safe.
- It’s a busy time of year for burglars. Make sure you keep presents and valuables out of sight.
- Make sure your Christmas lights meet British Standards. Look for the British Safety Standards kitemark.
- Pipes can freeze when the weather is cold. Check out our top tips for avoiding frozen pipes at www.nph.org/frozen-pipes
- Check on elderly relatives and neighbours, make sure they are fire safe. Also, if it’s icy outside, see if they need anything from the shops and check they’re warm enough.
- Remember, after drinking alcohol, the risk of accidents in the kitchen increases. Don’t cook anything if you’ve been drinking, stick to sandwiches instead!
There's lots of other helpful tips online to make sure you stay safe this winter: