Auburn Fire Captain Offers Holiday Safety Tips

by Richard Sobey Police & Fire 12/18/12 Comment

The Auburn Fire Department has provided safety information for the holiday season. Photo Credit: Rick Sobey

AUBURN, Mass. – The Auburn Fire Department wants residents to remain safe this holiday season. The following are holiday safety tips from Capt. Glenn Johnson:

If you are using a cut Christmas tree:

Make sure you keep it away from heat.
Water the tree daily.
Use a non-tip style tree stand. This will minimize the chance of the tree falling over.
Use only fire-retardant decorations.
Never leave a lighted tree unattended.
Dispose of your tree properly, soon after the holiday before needles dry out.
Place the tree out of the way of doorways and exits.

If you are using an artificial tree:

Make sure the tree has a fire-retardant label.
Never hang lights on a metallic tree.

When it comes to your holiday lights:

Unplug all lighting before retiring for the evening or leaving the house.
Purchase lights and electric decorations that are listed by an approved testing agency, such as Underwriters Laboratory.
Check all lighting for frayed wires, broken plugs, sockets, etc.
Never overload outlets. Use no more than three strands of lights on a single extension cord.
Never use candles on trees, near live or other flammable decorations.
Blow out candles before leaving the room. Don’t leave candles burning unattended.
Consider buying new energy efficient LED lights that don’t get as hot.
Always use appropriate weatherproof lights outdoors.

Deep-Fried Holiday Cooking:

Never deep-fry a tukey inside your home; one little mistake could cause your home to catch fire.
Cordon off the cooking area; keep pets and children out of the cooking area.
Make sure your deep-fry burner has a very sturdy base.
Get a big deep-fry pot, something around 34 to 36 quarts.
Keep the turkey to a manageable size, 8 to 12 pounds.
Know how much oil will safely fit in your deep-fry pot; don’t forget the turkey is going to displace quite a bit of oil.
Shut off the fuel when adding your turkey to the oil. This will prevent any overflow oil from hitting a flame and causing a fire.
Wear high quality oven mitts or gloves and lower the turkey into the pot slowly.

The Auburn Fire Department hopes that everyone has a safe and happy holiday.