All of us here at 24Restore wish a blessed Holiday!
Most importantly we want to help you avoid a Fire Damage Disaster during the Holidays!
With the holiday season upon us and New Year’s around the corner, we would like to give you some tips on preventing a fire right before …or after the festivities! Fires are more common during the holidays, with all the cooking, dry trees coming inside and distractions from the celebration. The last thing we all want is a disaster of this magnitude during our family gatherings.
Candles, faulty Christmas lights, fireplaces, heaters, Christmas trees, and cooking accidents, can start fires. With children running around and everyone celebrating, this increases the chances of a fire due to distractions and inattentiveness to our surroundings.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are around 30 million individuals that have experienced a fire damage disaster due to cooking accidents, candles, and Christmas trees during the holidays! These damages resulted in millions of dollars in property damages each year! We understand that accidents happen, and disasters are hard to prevent, so be sure to check in with your home insurance if you own a property. If you are renting, you will need renter’s insurance to cover any possible damages.
5 Fire Damage Tips to Prevent a Disaster This Coming Holiday!
Tip #1: When cooking, be sure to clean any grease on your stovetop or oven that can ignite easily. Keep that area free of any flammable objects like oven mitts or plastic containers.
Tip #2: Keep the lit candles in safe areas where they cannot be knocked over by children or pets and keep the candles in sight at all times.
Tip #3: Be sure to frequently water live Christmas trees to prevent them from getting dry and flammable. Keep Christmas trees 3 feet from any heat source, I.E. fireplace and heaters.
Tip #4: Check your Christmas lights for any damaged or fray wires. Poorly kept Christmas lights can become a hazard by having exposed wires touch flammable objects like wrapping paper and dry needles from a tree.
Tip #5: Clean your chimneys if you plan on using your fireplace. Debris like webs, leaves and bird’s nest may catch fire and fall onto your roofs! Never throw wrapping paper into your fireplace!
Bonus Tip: Be ready for any disaster with your home insurance! Make sure you have documented your property with a video recording and have proper coverage on your property. Speak with your insurance agent or broker if you are not sure about your policies. The last thing you want is to be unprepared for a disaster and not be able to recover from a fire. Disasters are more common than we think, and they are sadly impossible to fully prevent. The best proactive approach we can take is to be prepared, ready and have a plan for a disaster. If you do not have a disaster plan, check out some of our other blogs on fire safety. You will also find more helpful tips that may help you get ready for a potential disaster! The point of having an emergency plan is to be able to recover from any disaster.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Years from 24Restore! We hope you all have a safe holiday!
~ the people ~ the equipment ~ the expertise ~