“Put a Freeze on Winter Fires” this holiday season
December, January, and February are the leading months for home fires with many of these fires caused by cooking, heating, and holiday decorations such as lights, candles, and Christmas trees. To educate the public on the increased risks during the winter months, the NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) have once again teamed up for the annual "Put a Freeze on Winter Fires" campaign, providing free resources for use in community fire and life safety/injury prevention efforts.
Educators can participate by using the materials including social media assets, using the #wintersafety, and tagging @NFPA and @USFA in their posts. The goal of the "Put a Freeze on Winter Fires" campaign is to educate the public on increased fire risks during the winter months. Resources include the Put a Freeze Infographic, topic specific infographics, and social media assets formatted for use in all social media channels,
NFPA’s Winter Holidays Page has additional video, social media, and tip sheet resources to help your community celebrate safely,
Some key tips:
- Keep Christmas trees 3 feet (1 meter) away from fireplaces, candles, and heat sources such as space heaters.
- Water your tree every day; remove it when it becomes dry.
- Make sure you are using the right lights listed for indoor or outdoor use. Never use indoor lights outside
- Give space heaters space: Keep space heaters 3 feet (1 meter) away from furniture, curtains, and other things that can burn.
- More than 1/3 of home decoration fires are started by candles. Consider battery operated flameless candles.
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