On Tuesday, December 1, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran joined with the Nassau County Firefighters Museum & Education Center and Nassau County Fire Officials to conduct a live residential demonstration of a fire of a Christmas tree and share holiday fire safety tips. The demonstration was meant to emphasize the importance of staying vigilant in hydrating all-natural Christmas trees, and to show how quickly a home can go from a ‘winter wonderland’ to devastating house fire in minutes. The controlled burn took place at the Nassau County V.E.E.B. Fire Service Academy.
”We all know this has been a year like no other, which is why many of our residents are already decking the halls to make the holiday season as memorable as possible by installing extravagant decorations and more are choosing live trees over artificial trees than normal. We want the season to spark joy not fire, and that is why we are encouraging all residents to follow simple fire safety tips,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.
County Executive Curran and firefighters shared tips on how to safely make your holidays ‘merry and bright’ by properly using seasonal and holiday candles, menorah candles, decorative lighting and electrical cords.
County Executive Curran reminds residents of the following Holiday Fire Safety tips:
- Be careful with holiday decorations. Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
- Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn.
- Never leave a lit candle, menorah or kinara unattended.
- 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. Read manufacturer’s instructions for number of light strands to connect.
- Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged.
- Fresh trees are less likely to catch fire, so look for a tree with vibrant green needles that are hard to pluck and don’t break easily from its branches. The tree shouldn’t be shedding its needles readily.
- Always place your tree away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights, and keep the tree base filled with water to avoid a dry out.
- Make sure all your indoor and outdoor Christmas lights have been tested in a lab by the UL or ETL/ITSNA for safety and throw out any damaged lights.
- Keep all your holiday candles away from your Christmas tree, surrounding furniture and décor.
- Don’t forget to turn your Christmas tree lights off each night.
- The holiday season is a great time to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are working.
