Now coming up to Christmas time, fires are roaring and lights are shining. With all the festivities comes extra fire danger and risks. Here are some top tips to keep you and your family safe during the Christmas period.
Checking all lights conform to British standards
Lights on a Christmas tree and around the house in general do look good, but if they are faulty this can spark a very dangerous fire. Lights conforming to British standards allows for the safe knowing that the products that are sprinkled around your house this December are not faulty and not likely to spark a fire.
Checking all lights aren’t damaged
It’s always nice to get all the old nostalgic decorations out for Christmas, but this can come with extra electrical risk. When lights are old and used (like a lot of people’s Christmas lights are) this can be a potential risk of starting fires. If you notice any fraying or damage to your lights or ANY cables and wires in your house make sure you deal with them immediately and get a new set of lights.
Never overload sockets
During the Christmas season we tend to have more electrical items that we are not used to having to plug in the rest of the year. These can lead to people being lazy with their care for electrical safety. This can lead to overloaded sockets.
Overloaded sockets are a huge risk when it comes to electrical safety as when sockets are overloaded they get too much electricity running them (more than they were intended to deal with). This can cause electrical faults leading to sparks and fires.
Always switch off Christmas lights before you go to bed
With Christmas lights people love to leave them overnight because they ‘look good’. This is a dangerous habit. Doing this could leave your Christmas tree and your house vulnerable to a fire due to electrical faults at any time.
Fairy lights alone cause upward of 20 fires a year in the UK. By not leaving Christmas lights on overnight you are saving electricity, stopping the chance of a fire and reducing wear and tear on the lights in general or batteries if they are battery operated.
Keep electrical cords out of reach
Christmas time is made that extra bit special with loved ones around, but with pets and children, electrical safety must be thought about. Children and animals may find it difficult to stay away from your electronics and wires when bumbling around your house. This can lead to wires being chewed or pulled on which is dangerous to the child/ animal and everyone else. This could lead directly to electric shocks or could lead to damage that causes a spark leading to a fire.
