Friday, December 14, 2007
SIX CAUTIONS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON
The Holiday Season brings good cheer and gathering of friends and family. It also can be the most dangerous season for fires. With a few precautions you can enjoy a worry free holiday.
1) CHECK THAT LIST TWICE! Make sure your chimney has been cleaned and the soot scraped off the walls of your fireplace and doors.
2) NEVER LEAVE a room unless you extinguish all candles. Do not place candles near flammable material such as on window sills, near lamps or walls. Burn only lead free candles preferably made with soy. Soy produces minimal smoke and burns longer without leaving black soot residue on surfaces like a wall or the side of a candle holder.
3) NEVER MOVE a lit candle. Extinguish it. Always place a candle on a decorative plate or coaster. Candle wax permanently stains furniture including wood, counters, table tops etc.
4) CLEAN your clothes dryer vents after each load to prevent dryer fires especially this time of year when the dryer sees more activity than any other time of year.
5) CHECK YOUR FIRE EXTINQUISHER. Make sure you have a fire extinquisher on each level of your home. Show each capable member of your home how to use it. Make certain it is current and in working condition.
6) When you deep fry with oil, keep a large pan lid next to the stove in case of fire. Also keep a shaker container of baking soda next to the stove to extinguish any flame that might arise from cooking fried foods.
ONE FINAL NOTE: Purchase an excape ladder for each floor of your home if you have more than one floor in your home. Do not store it in the box, remove it. Each second is valuable in a fire and taking the time to remove it from the box can mean the difference of life and death. Test run the ladder making certain you and every member of your family knows how to use it. MOST IMPORTANT, establish a meeting place outside of your home for family members if your home does catch on fire.You know instantly if anyone is missing and where to find them. Go over escape routes and make a practice run using the ladders if required.
This article may only be reproduced giving full credit to Mary Findley, owner of Mary Moppins and her website www.goclean.com
