Talking TURKEY - Top Tips For A Safe Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate and enjoy with family and friends, so the last thing you want is an unplanned visit from the Fire Brigade to rescue them all from a blaze.

Keep your home and family safe with great fire advice from Fire Protection Online’s best non-feathered friend at Christmas, our top tips TURKEY.

TURKEY - T Is For Trees

Who can resist a Christmas tree, sparkling with twinkling lights, glistening baubles and draped with tinsel? To get the best out of your tree, and to ensure it doesn’t turn into a Biblical burning bush, take these tips from the TURKEY.

• If choosing a real tree, choose the freshest tree you can buy. Fresh trees smell strongly of pine and have bright green, supple needles. Never buy a tree with crunchy needles – it is past help!
  
  
• Keep your real tree well watered. A well watered tree is more naturally fire retardant, and will last longer. If you have a tree with no roots, make sure its stump is immersed in around 2 to 3 litres of water, and top up the water up daily. Rooted trees should also be well watered, but do not saturate the soil, as they might become unstable
  
  
• Artificial trees save a lot of fuss and bother, but can collect dust in between each Christmas. Hoover your tree well before setting it up, and check that it is fire retardant to current safety standards. If in doubt, chuck it out and get a new one!
  
  
• Position your Christmas tree well away from sources of heat, especially fires and heaters. Make sure that tinsel or lights do not form a ‘bridge’ between tree and heat sources. Also, the further your real tree is from heat, the less it will dry out
  
  
• Traditionally, Europeans have placed real candles on their trees, and there is a rather less fun tradition of fires at Christmas as a result. Never use real candles on a tree; electric lights are far safer and easier to manage. (See our E section on Electrics and Lights below)
  
  

TURKEY – U Is For Understanding

The best way to prevent fire is to understand it a little. However, the same common sense that prevents you sticking your hand in a flame doesn’t always seem to apply when you’re two eggnogs into the evening. So, protect yourself with a little understanding in advance.

• Fire is fascinating, especially for young children. Teach them not to touch candles or play around hot wood burning stoves or open fires, and ensure that fire screens are used at all times. Little fingers will desperately want to burn anything in a fire, so insist that only an adult can work with a fire or a stove, and keep wood or coal in a closed box or basket
  
  
• Keep matches well out of reach. Yes, we know you do this most of the year already, but don’t forget because it’s Christmas and the doorbell’s just rung for the carol singers and you’ve got the mince pies in the oven
  
  
• Pets may also not have encountered fire, or indeed Christmas, before. Make sure all Christmas trees and decorations are pet-proof, and that animals are protected from fires with fire screens
  
  
• If you have a fire extinguisher in your home, or a smoke alarm or fire blanket, make sure you know how to use them. Understanding these essential fire safety items can save precious seconds in a fire situation, which can help save lives too
  
  
• Devise and inform everyone of your fire safety plan. If fire does start, make sure everyone can head quickly and easily to a place of safety outside the home. See that exits are not blocked with piles of presents or old discarded paper, or that exiting rapidly through a door will not result in being half-strangled with tinsel
  
  

TURKEY - R Is For Real Fires

Real fires are so atmospheric, and can save on heating bills too, but most of the year you probably don’t light it. So, here’s our top tips on keeping the home fires burning without burning down the home.

• Treat your chimney to a professional sweep BEFORE you light your first fire of the season
  
  
• Extinguish all fires and shut down wood burning stoves at least half an hour before retiring to bed. This way you can ensure the fire is safely out and that you won’t be meeting the Fire Brigade outside at 3am in your nightie
  
  
• Dispose of ashes properly, in the morning when they are cool, and never into plastic dustbins while they are warm. (Unless you want to burn your wheely-bin)
  
  

TURKEY - K Is For Candles (OK, Nobody Said We Could Spell…)

Candles are irresistible at Christmas time, and a little care will ensure that your candle centrepiece does not turn your dining table into kindling.

• Candles must always be used in a proper holder that keeps them upright and catches any lost wax. Dripping candle wax can cause a fire too, not to mention ruining tables or sideboards
  
  
• Place your candles on a heat-resistant surface, never on wood or plastics. Tea lights should always be placed in a tea light holder, never directly on a combustible surface, as the metal bases get very hot
  
  
• Never leave a burning candle unattended. Extinguish all candles properly before going to bed, using either a candle-snuffer or a metal spoon
  
  
• Keep you fire extinguisher handy (you have got one, haven’t you?) just in case
  
  
• Make sure your smoke detectors are clean and replace their batteries for the Christmas season. If your detector goes off when you light your candles, you have too many candles
  
  

TURKEY – E Is For Electrics And Lights

Love your Christmas lights? Then check your electrics are up to the job before you plug in a single bulb.

• If, like most UK households, your Christmas lights have been stuck in a box in the roof from January to November, check them thoroughly before using again. Replace blown bulbs, check the wiring itself is undamaged, and the connections to the plug or transformer are sound. If in doubt, get a whole new set that are at UK safety standards, and dispose of the old ones responsibly
  
  
• Don’t overload your walls sockets with too many adaptors and plugs. Invest in a good four way extension with switchable plugs and surge protector, and keep the extension clear of any heat source. Never cover an extension lead or sockets
  
  
• Take care to hang your internal strings of lights well away from anything that may burn, such as paper-wrapped presents, or curtains, as bulbs get very hot
  
  
• Never leave your lights on in the house while you are out. Apart from keeping your home safe, you’ll be saving energy too. Why not link your lights to a ‘turn off standby’ system, for extra safety and savings?
  
  
• For external lights, always take great care when planning your display. Use only lights specifically approved for external use, and if possible use an external power source with a residual power cut-off device
  
  
• Make sure your lights are securely fastened to your property, and are not near any combustible materials such as your plastic drainpipes or roof fascias
  
  
• Unless you climb ladders every day, when fixing any lights above head height, borrow a good extendible aluminium ladder and a friend to help put up your lights. Always ensure your ladder has a firm footing, and make sure you do not overextend your reach to fix that last fairy light into place. Ensure power cables are secure and not drooping
  
  

TURKEY – Y Is For Year Round Safety

The best gift you can give any loved one this Christmas is year round fire safety, and it doesn’t have to involve large outlays of cash either.

• Give them vital minutes of warning with a smoke alarm. Old-fashioned smoke alarms used to require frequent battery changes, but new alarms can have up to ten years of battery life. Or give them a detector that’s integrated with a light fitting, which automatically recharges every time the light is turned on, and never worry about batteries again
  
  
• Remember, elderly or disabled relatives may not be able to reach fire detectors easily, so just giving your time to test already installed alarms and replace batteries as required could be the best gift of all. You’ll probably get grateful thanks and a mince pie or two as well!
  
  
• Fire extinguishers are now affordable for every home, and the latest models are compact and easy to use. If you have an extinguisher that’s over five years old, replace it, as this is nearly always cheaper than refilling or refurbishing it. If your fire extinguisher has no date of manufacture on it, ditch it, as it is unlikely to be up to standard
  
  

So, be safe and sure this Christmas with Fire Protection Online’s TURKEY, the only bird that won’t get roasted on the 25th December and is 100% suitable for vegetarians!

Season’s Greetings from the Fire Protection Online team