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Secrets to a Warmer, Safer Holiday Season
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Nov 21, 2007, 22:24

(ARA) – Mistletoe, Santa Claus, goodwill and snowmen aren’t the only things that arrive with the holiday season. Sadly, injury and serious risk also haunt many American homes in the months between Halloween and New Year’s.

From faulty Christmas lights to unsafe space heaters, the holidays can be fraught with danger. Here are some tips, from top safety organizations, for making sure there really is “no place like home for the holidays” when it comes to safety:

Cooking Up a Safer Holiday

In an average December, approximately 128,700 fires cause 415 deaths and 1,650 injuries across the country, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). While ornaments, Christmas trees and lights certainly play a role in holiday fires, cooking and heating still cause the majority of home fires in the festive season, the administration reports.

To minimize the risk of home fires caused by holiday cooking, the USFA advises you to:

* Never leave cooking unattended;

*Avoid loose clothing and long sleeves when cooking;

* Keep flammable items away from the stove;

* Double check the kitchen to be sure the stove is off and cool before you go to bed or out; and

* Never use your range or oven to heat your home.

Heaters on the Hot Seat

Heating sources, from fireplaces to space heaters, are the second leading cause of fires during the holidays. With the cost of home heating fuel continuing to rise, many Americans turn to supplemental sources to warm their homes. Danger arises when these sources are not well maintained or not used properly. Two out of every three fires, and three out of every four fire deaths, are linked to supplemental heating each year, the National Fire Protection Association reports.

Safety experts advise you to use your fireplace wisely during the holidays, by keeping holiday ornaments away and never leaving a fireplace burning unattended – even if it’s gas-powered. Clean the chimney of wood-burning fireplaces and have gas-powered ones serviced in the fall, before you start using them for holiday ambiance.

Space heaters are a potentially deadly concern all winter long, and especially during the holidays. Annually they are associated with 25,000 fires that cause more than 300 deaths and 6,000 serious injuries, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Additional space heater hazards include explosions, indoor air pollution and carbon monoxide poisoning.

If you must use a space heater to supplement your home’s heat, keep these cautions in mind:

* Liquid-fueled heaters can tip and cause a fire, especially in homes where children, pets, seniors or others with health problems live. They can also produce carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and lethal gas.

* Electric heaters should have a thermostat control mechanism and turn off automatically if they overheat or tip over.

* Never use a space heater as a table or clothes dryer.

* Always unplug your electric space heater when you are not using it.

Despite the dangers, many American homes and offices continue to use space heaters. For many, the therapeutic benefits of warmth – from minimizing the distraction of cold in a work environment to the effect of lessening pain for seniors, athletes or anyone with chronic muscle or joint pain – outweigh the risks. Fortunately, a new generation of low-wattage electric heaters now provides all the health benefits of warmth without the dangers associated with old-style high-wattage heaters.

Low-wattage products like the Cozy Legs flat panel heater are safer and more energy-efficient than high-wattage space heaters. The Cozy Legs heater requires less electricity and less clearance space (most heaters require at least 3 feet of space all around them).Thermostatically controlled, the Cozy Legs can be mounted either on a portable stand or with adhesive tabs on any flat vertical surface.

Visit www.usfa.dhs.gov or www.indus-tool.com to learn more.

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