Alfred Station Fire Company Association, Inc.
Established 1912
Proudly Serving: Alfred, Alfred Station, Hartsville and Ward
Fire Prevention Week For Parents and Kids
History of Fire Prevention Week | Fire Prevention Week 2008
Fire Prevention for People Over 50 | Fire Prevention for College Students
Fire Safety in the Home | Holiday Fire Prevention & Safety
Home Cooking Fires
According to statistics provided by the USFA; Each year fires occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 individuals and cause over $930 million in damage.
Christmas trees account for 200 fires annually, resulting in 6 deaths, 25 injuries and more than $6 million in property damage. Typically shorts in electrical lights or open flames from candles, lighters or matches start tree fires. Well-watered trees are not a problem. Dry and neglected trees can be.
Christmas time is a time for joyful gatherings. Your friends and neighbors at the Alfred Station Fire Company want you and your loved ones to be safe this holiday season. For this reason we have assembled some holiday safety tips and posted this Christmas Tree Fire video (courtesy of the USFA & NIST) to help illustrate the importance of Fire Prevention during the holidays.
Please Note: Watch the time elapsed during the video.
Video Courtesy USFA / NIST Within three seconds of ignition, the dry Scotch pine is completely ablaze. At five seconds, the fire extends up the tree and black smoke with searing gases streaks across the ceiling. Fresh air near the floor feeds the fire. The sofa, coffee table and the carpet ignite prior to any flame contact. Within 40 seconds "flashover" occurs -- that's when an entire room erupts into flames, oxygen is depleted and dense, deadly toxic smoke engulfs the scene. Our Holiday Fire Prevention and Safety Tips are broken into the following categories: - Christmas Tree Fire Prevention - Holiday Lighting Safety - Holiday Decorations - Holiday Candle Safety - Holiday Cooking Safety - Smoke Detectors - Summary Christmas Tree Fire Prevention How do you avoid Christmas Tree Fires? Don't put your tree up too early Opinions vary but a tree that has been cut and displayed for several weeks is less healthy and more prone to drying out thus creating a greater hazard. Two to three weeks of display is the general consensus for maximum safety. Select a healthy, freshly-cut tree Needles should be green and hard to pull from the branches. If you shake the tree and needles fall from the tree or are brown - choose a healthier tree. Additionally, don't select a live tree and bring it home only to leave it on the porch for days before cutting the bottom and placing it in water. Extended storage dries out the tree creating a greater risk. Tree Placement Don't place the tree near heat sources (like heat registers or space heaters) or ignition sources (like a fire place or any source of open flames) in the room. Heat will dry out the tree making it easier to ignite. Keep your Live Christmas Tree Well Watered Water your live tree regularly and keep the tree stand filled with water at all times. As NIST fire safety engineers say: REMEMBER, A WET TREE IS A SAFE TREE! Tree Disposal Never put tree branches or needles in a fireplace or wood-burning stove. When the tree becomes dry, discard it promptly. The best way to dispose of your tree is by taking it to a recycling center or having it hauled away by a community pick-up service. return to top Holiday Lighting Safety Maintain Your Holiday Lights Inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking or wear before putting them up. Use only lighting listed by an approved testing laboratory. Look for a label that reads UL Listed. Do Not Overload Electrical Outlets Do not link more than three light strands, unless the directions indicate it is safe. Connect strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into the outlet. Make sure to periodically check the wires - they should not be warm to the touch. Do Not Leave Holiday Lights on Unattended return to top Holiday Decorations Use Only Nonflammable Decorations All decorations should be nonflammable or flame-retardant and placed away from heat vents. Never Put Wrapping Paper in a Fireplace It can throw off dangerous sparks and produce a chemical buildup in the home that could cause an explosion. Artificial Christmas Trees ~ If you are using a metallic or artificial tree, make sure it is flame retardant. return to top Holiday Candle Safety The best Candle Safety is simple - Avoid Using Lit Candles. As you may recall, the 2005 NFPA Fire Prevention Week Theme was Candle Safety. And, according to the USFA, During 2004, an estimated 17,200 home structure fires started by candles were reported to local fire departments. These fires resulted in an estimated 200 civilian deaths, 1,540 civilian injuries and an estimated direct property loss of $200 million. Homes include dwellings, duplexes, manufactured housing and apartments. If you do use candles, exercise extreme caution! Make sure they are in stable holders Place them where they cannot be easily knocked down. Never leave the house with candles burning. Never Put Lit Candles on a Tree Do not go near a Christmas tree with an open flame - candles, lighters or matches. return to top Holiday Cooking Safety Never leave cooking food unattended. As you may recall, the 2006 NFPA Fire Prevention Week Theme was; "Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat" Unattended Cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires. In Fact more fires start in the kitchen than in any other part of the home! Don't leave cooking food unattended. Fire Prevention Week Quiz Care to test your knowledge about Home Cooking Fires? Take an online quiz about cooking fires in the home from the NFPA here Home Cooking Fire Quiz NFPA Facts... • Between 1999-2002, there were 114,000 reported home fires associated with cooking equipment on average per year, resulting in an annual 290 deaths and 4,380 injuries. • Three in 10 reported home fires start in the kitchen -- more than any other place in the home. • Two out of three reported home cooking fires start with the range or stove. • Electric ranges or stoves have a higher risk of fires, injuries and property damage, compared to gas ranges or stoves, but gas ranges or stoves have a higher risk of fire deaths. For more complete information about the alarming number of cooking fires in American homes click the following link and read the NFPA's Home Cooking Fire Patterns and Trends (pdf) return to top Smoke Detectors Have working smoke alarms installed on every level of your home. Test smoke detectors monthly Keep smoke detectors clean and in proper working condition. Follow manufacturers directions for proper cleaning. Keep smoke detectors equipped with fresh batteries at all times. return to top Summary Finally, as in every season, know when and how to call for help. In Allegany County Dial 911 for emergencies. If there is a fire - Get Out and STAY OUT! And remember to practice your home escape plan. We Care About You We’re Your Neighbors We Live Together We Need To Work Together To Prevent Fires In Our Community Click here to return to the top of this page
Video Courtesy USFA / NIST
Within three seconds of ignition, the dry Scotch pine is completely ablaze. At five seconds, the fire extends up the tree and black smoke with searing gases streaks across the ceiling. Fresh air near the floor feeds the fire. The sofa, coffee table and the carpet ignite prior to any flame contact. Within 40 seconds "flashover" occurs -- that's when an entire room erupts into flames, oxygen is depleted and dense, deadly toxic smoke engulfs the scene.
Our Holiday Fire Prevention and Safety Tips are broken into the following categories:
- Christmas Tree Fire Prevention - Holiday Lighting Safety - Holiday Decorations - Holiday Candle Safety - Holiday Cooking Safety - Smoke Detectors - Summary
- Christmas Tree Fire Prevention
- Holiday Lighting Safety
- Holiday Decorations
- Holiday Candle Safety
- Holiday Cooking Safety
- Smoke Detectors
- Summary
How do you avoid Christmas Tree Fires?
Don't put your tree up too early
Opinions vary but a tree that has been cut and displayed for several weeks is less healthy and more prone to drying out thus creating a greater hazard. Two to three weeks of display is the general consensus for maximum safety.
Select a healthy, freshly-cut tree
Needles should be green and hard to pull from the branches. If you shake the tree and needles fall from the tree or are brown - choose a healthier tree. Additionally, don't select a live tree and bring it home only to leave it on the porch for days before cutting the bottom and placing it in water. Extended storage dries out the tree creating a greater risk.
Tree Placement
Don't place the tree near heat sources (like heat registers or space heaters) or ignition sources (like a fire place or any source of open flames) in the room. Heat will dry out the tree making it easier to ignite.
Keep your Live Christmas Tree Well Watered
Water your live tree regularly and keep the tree stand filled with water at all times. As NIST fire safety engineers say: REMEMBER, A WET TREE IS A SAFE TREE!
Tree Disposal
Never put tree branches or needles in a fireplace or wood-burning stove. When the tree becomes dry, discard it promptly. The best way to dispose of your tree is by taking it to a recycling center or having it hauled away by a community pick-up service.
return to top
Maintain Your Holiday Lights
Inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking or wear before putting them up.
Use only lighting listed by an approved testing laboratory. Look for a label that reads UL Listed.
Do Not Overload Electrical Outlets
Do not link more than three light strands, unless the directions indicate it is safe. Connect strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into the outlet.
Make sure to periodically check the wires - they should not be warm to the touch.
Do Not Leave Holiday Lights on Unattended
Use Only Nonflammable Decorations
All decorations should be nonflammable or flame-retardant and placed away from heat vents.
Never Put Wrapping Paper in a Fireplace It can throw off dangerous sparks and produce a chemical buildup in the home that could cause an explosion.
Artificial Christmas Trees ~ If you are using a metallic or artificial tree, make sure it is flame retardant.
The best Candle Safety is simple - Avoid Using Lit Candles. As you may recall, the 2005 NFPA Fire Prevention Week Theme was Candle Safety.
And, according to the USFA, During 2004, an estimated 17,200 home structure fires started by candles were reported to local fire departments. These fires resulted in an estimated 200 civilian deaths, 1,540 civilian injuries and an estimated direct property loss of $200 million. Homes include dwellings, duplexes, manufactured housing and apartments.
If you do use candles, exercise extreme caution!
Make sure they are in stable holders
Place them where they cannot be easily knocked down.
Never leave the house with candles burning.
Never Put Lit Candles on a Tree
Do not go near a Christmas tree with an open flame - candles, lighters or matches.
Never leave cooking food unattended. As you may recall, the 2006 NFPA Fire Prevention Week Theme was;
Unattended Cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.
In Fact more fires start in the kitchen than in any other part of the home! Don't leave cooking food unattended.
Care to test your knowledge about Home Cooking Fires? Take an online quiz about cooking fires in the home from the NFPA here Home Cooking Fire Quiz
NFPA Facts...
• Between 1999-2002, there were 114,000 reported home fires associated with cooking equipment on average per year, resulting in an annual 290 deaths and 4,380 injuries. • Three in 10 reported home fires start in the kitchen -- more than any other place in the home. • Two out of three reported home cooking fires start with the range or stove. • Electric ranges or stoves have a higher risk of fires, injuries and property damage, compared to gas ranges or stoves, but gas ranges or stoves have a higher risk of fire deaths.
For more complete information about the alarming number of cooking fires in American homes click the following link and read the NFPA's Home Cooking Fire Patterns and Trends (pdf)
Have working smoke alarms installed on every level of your home.
Test smoke detectors monthly
Keep smoke detectors clean and in proper working condition. Follow manufacturers directions for proper cleaning.
Keep smoke detectors equipped with fresh batteries at all times.
Finally, as in every season, know when and how to call for help.
In Allegany County Dial 911 for emergencies.
If there is a fire - Get Out and STAY OUT!
And remember to practice your home escape plan.
We Care About You
We’re Your Neighbors
We Live Together
We Need To Work Together
To Prevent Fires In Our Community
Click here to return to the top of this page
Below are additional free resources available to you online.
Sparky the Fire Dog® needs you to join his fire safety team! Here are some more home safety activities:
- FREE Kid's Coloring Pages
- Create a Kid Free Zone 3 feet from the stove (pdf)
- Fire Prevention for kids
- Home Escape Plan (pdf)
- Sparky the Fire Dog Website for Kids
- Cartoon Poster (pdf)
- For Parents & Caregivers (pdf)
- Animated Fire Safety slide show
- Smokey the Bear Website for Kids
- NY Office of Fire Prevention & Control SAFETY ALERTS
- Consumer Product Safety Commision (CPSC) Bulletins and Publications
- FireSafety.Gov Website
- US Fire Administration Website
- National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Website
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