Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Christmas Tree Safety

SIMPLE STEPS HELP ENSURE A SAFE HOLIDAY

We want everyone to have a safe and happy holiday season. The Suisun City Fire Department would like to help make sure that Suisun City residents are safe and secure by offering some simple tips to ensure a safe holiday:
  • Make sure your artificial Christmas tree is labeled, certified or identified by the manufacturer as fire retardant.
  • Check to see that your live cut tree has fresh, green needles that don't fall off easily when touched.
  • Cut about 1 to 2 inches off the trunk of your live cut tree before placing it in a stand that can hold water.
  • Make sure to add water daily because trees consume lots of water, and can dry quickly indoors.
  • Place your tree at least 3 feet away from a heat source, such as fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights.
  • Make sure the tree is not blocking any exits.
  • Use lights that carry a label from an independent testing laboratory.
  • Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. String no more than 3 strands of mini string lights, and a maximum of 50 screw-in bulbs.
  • Never use candles to decorate a tree.
  • Always turn Christmas tree lights off before leaving home or going to bed.
  • Get rid of the tree when it begins to drop needles. Dry trees are an extreme fire hazard. Use an after-Christmas community disposal program to remove the tree from your property.
>>Click here for more Christmas tree safety tips>>
>>Click here for holiday safety information from the National Fire Protection Association>>

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