Emergency Response Hotline 888.327.9664
Another holiday season is almost upon us. Before you know it, you’ll be decorating your home, planning family gatherings, baking cookies and preparing scrumptious meals.
While all this activity generates fun and excitement, it also increases the risk of a fire or other disaster that can take the joy out of the season. Fortunately, a little planning and careful thought can go a long way toward avoiding holiday disasters and keeping your family and guests safe.
The following tips can help you and your love ones experience a joyous, stress-free holiday season this year — and every year.
With all the cooking, baking and food prep, kitchen counters can get crowded during the holidays. The lack of available space may make the stove a tempting spot to store items. To avoid a fire hazard, keep anything flammable away from the stove, especially while you’re cooking. Never leave the stove unattended while in use and have a fire extinguisher nearby as an extra safety precaution.
The National Fire Protection Association indicates that more home fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day. Not thoroughly thawing the turkey before cooking it, especially when deep-frying, is one of the biggest culprits. When the ice contacts the cooking oil, it generates rapidly expanding steam that can cause the oil to overflow and accelerate the flames under the pot. Making sure you’ve thawed the turkey completely before cooking helps to avoid these holiday disasters.
Safety at Christmas starts with proper tree placement. Make sure the tree is at least 3 feet away from a fireplace or other heat source. If you put up a real tree, pine needles pose a significant fire hazard. Water the tree regularly to keep it from drying out and dropping potentially flammable foliage. To test the tree’s dryness, gently pull on a branch and see if any needles break off.
Candles create a warm, inviting atmosphere during the holidays. However, they can also increase the household fire risk, resulting in approximately 40% of home decoration structure fires. Keep burning candles a minimum of 12 inches away from anything flammable and always take care to extinguish them before you leave the room. Consider electric candles as a non-flammable alternative that can help prevent holiday disasters.
At Unlimited Restoration, we specialize in helping customers prepare for catastrophic events and providing quick responses when disaster strikes. With offices in Philadelphia, Tampa, Orlando, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, Delaware, we’re available to provide our services throughout the U.S.
When you reach out to URI for help, you’ll speak to a live person (not an answering machine or voicemail) who is ready to provide immediate assistance. We also believe in transparency — you can expect honest, open, straightforward communication when working with us.
Contact us today for more helpful advice for avoiding holiday disasters this season.
