Holiday Home Safety Tips

It’s so easy to get caught up in the spirit of the holidays that you forget some of the basic Christmas Tree safety practices, and, before you know it, your entire living room has caught fire!Unfortunately, there are many aspects about natural Christmas trees that can easily lead to your entire living room being engulfed in flames in just 30 seconds (just take a look at the video below). To help make sure your holiday season progresses without a hitch, the Norwalk Fire Department has a list of some common safety tips regarding Christmas trees to keep you and your family safe this holiday season.

1. Before natural trees are set up, the trunk should be sawed above the original cut, set in a sand and tap water added. This initial fresh cut opens up the sap channels in the tree so that it can take up water. Keep your tree stand water level above the cut in the trunk to prevent the tree from forming a sap seal. A sap sealed tree trunk will not draw water, which is needed for it to remain fresh.
2. All trees should be held upright in sturdy stands having a base that is sufficiently broad enough to effectively support the tree. Guy wires may be needed to steady oversized trees.
3. Natural trees having root balls should be moistened daily and cut natural trees should be placed in containers of water sufficient to provide at lease a one day supply. A One-gallon capacity container is recommended.
4. Natural trees should remain indoors only for as long a period of time as they are fresh. Cut trees are thirsty! They may drink from two pints to a gallon of water per day - so make sure to check the water level daily and supply fresh water as needed. A Maximum of ten days is suggested for cut trees.
5. All trees and decorations should be located a safe distance from sources of heat such as heaters, fireplaces, stoves, television sets, candles and the like. NEVER DECORATE YOUR TREE WITH CANDLES!
6. Overloaded electrical outlets and faulty wires are a common case of holiday-related accidents. Worn-out electrical cords and plugs should be replaced. Avoid too many plugs in one outlet. Use multi-outlet power strips when running many applications or decorative light screens.
7. All sources of electric lighting, both direct and indirect, should be in good condition and consist of equipment that has been tested and labeled or listed for the specific purpose by a recognized testing laboratory. All lighting should be turned off or better yet, disconnected, when the area is unattended. This is especially important in residential occupancies when the occupants are asleep.

The Norwalk Fire Department also has safety tips for shopping, candles, winter holidays and more. It’s definitely worth your while to read over all of them and adequately prepare for the season. We definitely don’t want to see any firetrucks in the parking lot of the beautiful Norwalk apartments Morningside Gardens!