As you spread holiday cheer, Monitronics wants you to be fire smart, especially when it comes to your Christmas tree. That beautiful decoration can turn a small fire into a huge one in a matter of minutes. These tips come from our friends over at the National Fire Protection Association.
Picking the tree
* If you have an artificial tree, be sure it is labeled, certified, or identified by the manufacturer as fire retardant.
* Choose a tree with fresh, green needles that do not fall off when touched.
Placing the tree
* Before placing the tree in the stand, cut 1–2” from the base of the trunk.
* Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from any heat source, like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights.
* Make sure the tree is not blocking an exit.
* Add water to the tree stand. Be sure to add water daily.
Lighting the tree
* Use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory. Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.
* Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Connect no more than three strands of mini string sets and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs.
* Never use lit candles to decorate the tree.
* Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed.
After Christmas
Get rid of the tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried-out trees are a fire danger and should not be left in the home or garage, or placed outside against the home. Check with your local community to find a recycling program. Bring outdoor electrical lights inside after the holidays to prevent hazards and make them last longer.
FACTS
Each year, fire departments respond to an average of 210 structure fires caused by Christmas trees.
* 48% of home Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems.
* A heat source too close to the tree causes 27% of the fires.
Posted in: Home Security
It’s national Fire Prevention Week 2009 from October 4-10, a time to pay special attention to risks around our homes. According to the National Fire Protection Association, last year, fires caused more than $15.5 billion in directly property loss, with $8.6 billion of that being residential.
Many of those fires started in the bedroom, a place that’s designed for comfort and relaxation, but is no safe haven when it comes to home fires: Nearly 6,000 people die annually from bedroom fires, says the United States Fire Administration.
Sleep tight with these safety tips for the bedroom:
- Replace mattresses made before 2007 that don’t meet the new flammability standard.
- Never smoke in bed.
- Make sure that electric blankets, bed warmers, and space heaters are lab tested and do not have frayed electric cords.
- Operate space heaters at least three feet away from flammable objects, like curtains, clothes, bedspreads, sheets, and blankets.
- Keep matches, lighters and candles out of the reach of children. When children play with these items, they often do so in their bedrooms. This is especially critical during the holiday season when the number of house fires by children increases to a peak of 60 fires per day during mid-December.
- Routinely check under beds, in closets, and furniture in children’s rooms for lighters, burnt matches, or other signs that they might be playing with fire.
Posted in: Home Security
For one Palmyra, Tennessee, family, security means knowing they are protected from fire by a monitored alarm system. Lee and Cristina Szlosek left a comment on our website about their Monitronics security system and how it saved their lives. We called them for the whole story. These are Cristina’s words.
A fire that could have killed my family
“Monitronics saved my family from a fire that happened October 21, 2008, at 2:31 a.m. The house we lived in had a fireplace and we lit it up and went to bed. Around two in the morning, the smoke alarm went off and that’s what woke us up. I would have slept right through the fire without the alarm because I’m such a heavy sleeper. We went in the living room and there was smoke filling the room. It turns out the fire was between the walls.
“I thought my husband was joking with me—I was half asleep. But he was not. That fire was real. We got the two kids and the dog and got outside—Monitronics had called the fire department already. When we walked around the house we could see the flames had already melted the vinyl siding. It was a close call.
“If we wouldn’t have had that smoke detector and you all monitoring it, the Palmyra Tennessee Fire Department would have been picking up bodies that night. I don’t want to be in the house without an alarm system after something like that. You guys saved our lives.”
Posted in: Home Security, What Is Security?
Got some tasty treats cooking up in the kitchen? Keep it safe with these fire prevention tips. Your safety and home alarm system needs aren’t limited to anti-theft protection. Statistics show that the No. 1 “home intruder” is fire. In fact, cooking is the number-one cause of all home fires: almost 40% start there and most start during the dinner hours, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The sooner a fire is detected and emergency responders are notified, the greater the chance that your loved ones and possessions will be safe
• Think prevention when you’re cooking. Have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and have monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. According to the U.S. Home Safety Council, 97% of U.S. homes have at least one basic smoke detector – but an off-the-shelf smoke alarm may not be enough to protect your family and property. Monitored smoke detection and fire alarm systems work even when your alarm system isn’t armed – and early detection of smoke or fire is the key to faster response.
• Never leave the kitchen while cooking and avoid cooking when you’re tired.
• Avoid wearing loose clothing around burners or gas flames.
• Move flammables away from stove-tops—paper and plastic catch on fire easily.
• Smother grease fires with a lid, metal tray, or cookie sheet. Don’t spray with an extinguisher. You could spread the fire to the walls.
• Unplug small appliances when you aren’t using them.
Posted in: Home Security
