Home Safety Tips During The Holidays

After reading the story over the weekend about the man who died stuck inside a homeowner’s chimney when the homeowner lit a fire in the fireplace, I thought it a good time to discuss home safety tips during the holidays.

What more could the homeowner have done before lighting the fire in his fireplace? He could have yelled up the chimney…feeling foolish if no one was stuck? Not forgetting Santa of course, if it’s Christmas Eve.

The homeowners could install a chimney guard.

Follow these tips to stay safe:

• Don’t leave lit fireplaces, candles, menorahs, stoves, or grills unattended.
• Keep candles away from curtains and trees as well as from children and pets.
• Never use gasoline-burning or charcoal-burning devices such as grills or generators inside your house or garage.
• Equip your home with working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Test them monthly and replace batteries two times per year; I like to use the Daylight Savings Time changes to test and replace all batteries.

Prevent Clark Griswold-style accidents with these safety guidelines:

• Use a step stool instead of standing on furniture when hanging decorations inside or outside your home
• Keep holiday clutter such as toys, foods, and other potential choking hazards away from young children.

Watch Out for Porch Package Thieves:

• Theft of packages from front porches and stoops increase as online shopping drives more home deliveries during the holidays. Take advantage of electronic delivery alerts and other protections to make sure your gifts are safely delivered — and received.
• Don’t leave the newspapers and mail piling up if you are traveling as that tells would-be robbers you aren’t home.

Use Candles Wisely:

• Christmas Day, Christmas Eve and Dec. 23. are three of the top five days for home fires caused by candles. Never leave a burning candle unattended, and do not put any candles or open flames near Christmas trees or other holiday decorations that could quickly spark a fire in your home. Most importantly, do not leave candles burning when you go to bed.

If you are looking for more home safety tips or to buy or sell a home, contact Sonja Bush at (661) 979-9000, or email her at [email protected].