Red Cross: ‘Tis the season to prevent holiday decoration fires

Most candle fires come about in homes through December 

Vermont Business Magazine This holiday break year, the American Pink Cross Northern New England Area encourages absolutely everyone to adhere to basic actions to prevent dwelling fires from holiday getaway decorations. Most home fires involving candles happen in December, when one in five dwelling decoration fires also occur.  

“As much more of us gentle candles to rejoice the holidays, we want to be certain every person stays harmless from property fires — the nation’s most recurrent disaster,” mentioned John Montes, Regional Catastrophe Method Officer for the Purple Cross Northern New England Area. “Help guard your household by utilizing battery-operated candles, screening your smoke alarms month to month and working towards your two-minute escape system with all people in your household.” 

Holiday break DECORATING Basic safety Strategies Follow these security ideas and visit redcross.org/fire for far more information and facts, including an escape system to follow with your household. You can also down load the free of charge Red Cross Crisis app by hunting “American Crimson Cross” in app merchants. 

• If you must use candles, preserve them absent from anything that could burn, and place them out of attain from pets and little ones. By no means depart burning candles unattended.
• Look at all holiday gentle cords to make sure they aren’t frayed or broken. Never string way too numerous strands of lights together — no a lot more than three for each extension twine.
• Make certain outside the house decorations are for out of doors use and fasten lights securely to your house or trees. If applying hooks or nails outdoors, make certain they are insulated to stay clear of an electrocution or hearth hazard.
• If getting an synthetic tree, seem for the hearth-resistant label. When putting it up, retain it absent from fireplaces, radiators and other sources of warmth. Hardly ever use electric lights on metallic trees.
• If acquiring a stay tree, make confident it’s refreshing and maintain it watered. To test if the tree is fresh new, bend the needles up and down to make sure no needles tumble off.
• Never mild the hearth if hanging stockings or other decorations on the mantel. 

IF YOU Need to have HELP If you are unable to find the money for to acquire smoke alarms or are bodily not able to install just one, the Purple Cross may well be capable to enable. Visit  redcross.org/EndHomeFiresNNE  or simply call 1-800-464-6692 (Possibility 4) to timetable your cost-free set up appointment. 

Household Fireplace Marketing campaign Will save LIVES Since October 2014, the Pink Cross Household Hearth Marketing campaign with local community partners has saved at minimum 1,414 lives by educating families about hearth basic safety, serving to them develop escape ideas and installing more than 2.4 million free smoke alarms in large-danger neighborhoods across the country. Visit redcross.org/homefires for additional facts. 

About the American Red Cross:

The American Pink Cross shelters, feeds and provides ease and comfort to victims of disasters provides about 40{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} of the nation’s blood teaches expertise that help save life distributes global humanitarian help and supports veterans, army customers and their family members. The Pink Cross is a nonprofit business that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American general public to deliver its mission. For more information, make sure you visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or pay a visit to us on Twitter at @RedCross.

BURLINGTON, DEC. 6, 2022 — American Red Cross Northern New England Location