Holiday Safety

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The 2021 Holiday Season may look a little different as we return to normal traditions while still being mindful of COVID precautions. We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season! 

Whether you're planning on traveling or will be hosting for the holidays, visit the CDV COVID 19 Information page for updates and tips

CDC COVID 19 and holidays

Holiday Safety Tips

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Festive celebrations, flickering lights, candles and winter greens are hallmarks of the holiday season, but they also present fire risks that can quickly turn this festive time of year into a devastating one. Below are some safety resources from the NFPA to help you stay safe. 



Safety tip sheets


Winter holiday fire facts

  • Electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in almost half of home Christmas tree fires.
  • Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires were started by decorative lights. Eight percent were started by candles.
  • Roughly two of every five home Christmas tree fires started in the living room.
  • Year round, more than one-third (35 percent) of home decoration fires were started by candles. This jumped to almost half in December when candles started 45 percent of such fires. Cooking started one-fifth (19%) of decoration fires. 
  • For addition tips and resources visit: NFPA- Put the Freeze on Winter Fires
For kids and families

Whether you are looking for coloring pages, activity sheets or e-cards, we have what you need to keep you fire-safe this holiday season.

Christmas tree & decoration fires

Carefully decorating your home can help make your holidays safer. Between 2015-2019, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 160 home fires that started with Christmas trees per year. U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 790  home structure fires per year that began with decorations, excluding Christmas trees.

In the throes of holiday shopping and decorating? Check out the 9 Ways You’re a Holiday Decorating Disaster.

Christmas tree disposal
As Christmas trees dry out, they become more and more flammable. Thirty percent of Christmas tree fires were in January.  Although Christmas tree fires are not common, they can grow very fast.

 


A live Christmas tree burn conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows just how quickly a dried out Christmas tree fire burns, with flashover occurring in less than one minute, as compared to a well-watered tree, which burns at a much slower rate.

More information

Cooking Safety Tips

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The kitchen is the heart of the home, especially during the holidays. Kids love to be involved in holiday preparations. Safety in the kitchen is important when there is a lot of activity and people at home.NFPA Cooking Safety

  • Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop so you can keep an eye on the food.
  • Stay in the home when cooking your turkey and check on it frequently. 
  • Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay 3 feet away. 
  •  Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns. 
  • Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags. 
  • Keep knives out of the reach of children. 
  • Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child. 
  • Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet. 
  • Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle. 
  • Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button

Resources are also available in multiple languages: click here to visit: 

https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Teaching-tools/Safety-tip-sheets/Safety-tip-sheets-in-other-languages