Pacific Power, Bend Fire offer holiday safety tips

The City of Bend Fire Department and Pacific Power wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Please ensure you and your loved ones stay safe by following these tips and recommendations:

The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking, so it’s best to stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on what you fry. Many people do a lot more cooking around the holidays, so it’s a good time to practice good cooking safety.

When decorating, choose a fresh, healthy tree with a deep-green color and flexible needles. Make sure you have 3 feet between your Christmas tree and any heating source. Water your tree daily: a tree may consume between a quart and a gallon of water per day.

Maintain your holiday lights. Inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, bare spots, and broken or cracked sockets. Do not overload electrical sockets. Do not link more than 3 light strands, unless the manufacturer’s instructions indicate it is safe.

If you use candles, consider using battery-operated flameless candles, which can look and smell like real candles. Never leave a burning candle unattended. Extinguish candles when you go to bed, leave a room, or before leaving the house.

Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that can burn, including clothing, curtains, upholstered furniture, greenery, and decorations. Place candles out of reach of small children and pets. Always use a flashlight, not a candle, for emergency lighting.

Tis the season of merriment and gatherings of families and friends. Taking a few minutes to check for safety shows you are a wise person and will help ensure a festive and fun holiday season.

The following list of 12 recommendations is the best gift you can give at home:

1. Look first. Inspect all electrical decorations for damage before use. Cracked or damaged sockets, loose or bare wires and loose connections may cause a serious shock or can start a fire.

2. Don’t overload electrical outlets. Overloaded electrical outlets and faulty wires are a common cause of holiday fires. Avoid overloading outlets and only plug one high-wattage appliance into each outlet. NOT THIS!!

3. Three string rule. Never connect more than three strings of incandescent lights. More than three strands can trip a circuit breaker or even cause a fire.

4. Look for the label. Check decorations for certification label. Decorations without a label from an independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) have not been tested for safety and could be hazardous.

5. The Outsiders. Make sure all extension cords and electrical decorations used for outdoor decorating are marked for outdoor use.

6. Evergreen, ever safe. If you have a live tree, keep it fresh by watering daily. Dry trees are a serious fire hazard. When trimming the tree, only use non-combustible or flame-resistant materials and lights approved by a nationally-recognized testing laboratory.

7. Don’t flame out. Use battery-operated simulated candles in place of traditional candles in any location near flammable objects. Almost half of home decoration fires are caused by traditional candles, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

8. Three foot rule. Keep combustibles, including Christmas trees, at least three feet from heat sources.

9. Get wired. Protect electrical cords from damage. To avoid shock or fire hazards, cords should never be pinched by furniture, forced into small spaces such as doors or windows, placed under rugs, located near heat sources or attached by nails or staples.

10. A watched pot. Stay in the kitchen when something is cooking. Unattended cooking equipment is the leading cause of home cooking fires according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

11. Turn off, unplug and extinguish all decorations when going to sleep or leaving the house. Unattended candles are a disaster waiting to happen. Half of home fire deaths occur between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. (NFPA).

12. Don’t kid around. When buying (or shopping for) electronic toys for children, be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions and warning labels. Check if the item is appropriate and safe to operate for the child’s age group, determine whether adult supervision is required, and plan accordingly.

Additional details and safety tips are available on Pacific Power’s website at www.pacificpower.net/safety. Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday season!