Tehama County Real Estate
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/223632
Tehama Country Real Estate – Emphasize safe when decorating the holidays 3 ty for D ecking the halls for the holidays is a causing an average of 15 deaths each year. In addi beloved tradition for many families. A home's tion, such fir es cause an average of $13 million in exterior festooned with lights help cr eate a festive pr operty damage annually. Though it can be holiday mood, while stockings hung by the chim - tempting to pur chase the most eye-catching ney and a Christmas tr ee in the living r oom bring Christmas tr ee you find, avoid acting rashly until you have learned a little about the tr ee. Artificial that holiday cheer inside. tr ees should be labeled as "Fir e Resistant." Such Though the holiday season is a festive time of tr ees can still catch fir e, but they ar e mor e r esis year, it can quickly turn tragic if r evelers do not tant to fir e than tr ees without such labels. When emphasize safety when decorating their homes. buying a live tr ee, make sur e the tr ee is fr esh. The When decorating this holiday season, be sur e to tr ee should be gr een, and its needles should be employ the following pr ecautions so your holiday dif ficult to pull of f of branches, which should not be easily br eakable. Tap the tr ee on the gr ound season is festive, decorative and safe. befor e pur chasing it. If the tr ee loses a lot of nee * Exer cise extr eme caution with holiday lights. dles upon tapping the gr ound, it isn't fr esh. Tr ees Accor ding to the Electrical Safety Foundation that ar en't fr esh ar e mor e susceptible to going up International, 150 home fir es per year begin with in flames. holiday lights and other decorative lighting. Such fir es may start because of frayed or bar e wir es, * Keep the tr ee away fr om heat sour ces. Though br oken or cracked sockets or even loose connec - it might seem mor e idyllic to place your Christ tions. It's important that men and women be espe - mas tr ee next to the fir eplace, it's a lot mor e dan cially car eful when decorating their homes with ger ous as well. When choosing a spot for your holiday lights, inspecting each set of lights for tr ee, find a place that is away fr om heat sour ces damage and discar ding any damaged sets. When like fir eplaces, radiators and vents. But homeown choosing lights, use only lights that have been cer - ers also should know that even tr ees placed away tified for outdoor use on your home's exterior, and fr om heat sour ces can still dry out, cr eating a fir e hazar d even if the tr ee was fr esh and healthy never use outdoor lights inside. when pur chased. That's because Christmas tr ees * Pur chase the right Christmas tr ee. The Con - can quickly dry out in heated r ooms. Monitor the sumer Pr oduct Safety Commission notes that tr ee's water levels every day, checking those levels Christmas tr ees ar e involved in hundr eds of fir es in both the morning and at night befor e going to bed. This pr events the tr ee fr om drying out and becoming a fir e hazar d, and it also helps the tr ee maintain its aesthetic appeal thr ough the holiday season. * Limit use of candles. Like Christmas tr ees, candles ar e a popular yet potentially hazar dous decorative item during the holiday season. When decorating with candles, be sur e that all candles ar e extinguished befor e leaving a r oom and never leave them burning when you go to bed. Candles should be kept away fr om any decorative items, including Christmas tr ees, that can catch fir e. Never place candles near curtains, furnitur e or pr esents. Holiday enthu siasts with little childr en or pets at home might want to decorate with fake LED-light candles instead of traditional candles. Curious kids or excitable pets may not r ecognize the potential dangers of lit candles and, as a r esult, might burn themselves or tips candles over. The holiday season is upon us, and that means scor es of celebrants will be decking their halls. Though festive decorations ar e a part of the season, safety should always come first.

