Prevent Christmas Tree Catastrophes With Must-Know Safety Tips

Picture this.

You’re sipping on hot chocolate and enjoying a holiday movie classic while gather with loved ones. With the past few weeks being filled with gift shopping, last minute errands, and holiday parties, it’s been a busy month. It’s not until that you smell something burning that you realize that no one has replenished the water in the tree stand in days. It turns out that the lights strung throughout your live Christmas tree created a spark with the dried branches.

What would you do if this actually did?

An estimated 240 home fires occur involving Christmas trees every year and 150 more fires happen with holiday lights. The fires cause an average of 21 deaths and $25.2 million in property damage each year, based on data gathered from the National Fire Protection Association and United States Fire Administration (USFA).

The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department teamed up with USFA to provide tips that will help prevent fires and a Christmas catastrophe.

While the tips may seem like common knowledge, you would be surprised how easy they are to forget:

Selecting a Tree:

• Needles on fresh trees should be green, hard to pull back, and should not break
• The trunk should be sticky when touched
• Check if a tree is old by bouncing the trunk on the ground - if a lot of needles fall off then the tree is probably dry and a fire hazard

Caring for a Tree:

• Cut one to one and a half inches off of the trunk before placing in water
• Keep the tree away from any heat sources like a vent or fireplace
• Do not leave a live tree up for more than two weeks
• The tree stand should be filled entirely at all times

Disposing a Tree:

• Never burn a tree, branches, or needles in a fireplace or wood-burning stove
• Discard a tree when it dries out
• Properly dispose the tree at a recycling center

Everyday Protection:

• Install a smoke alarm and every level of your house
• Replace the systems’ batteries at least once a year
• Check that all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are working once a month

See why keeping a live tree watered regularly is so important courtesy of the National Fire Protection Association.

Protect your family enjoy the holiday season!

For more information visit the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department.

Image via Shutterstock