Don’t let this holiday season leave you homeless because you or your family did not practice fire safety.

Buying a Live Tree

• Natural trees should be cut at a 45-degree angle at the base and placed in water
• Check for freshness. A fresh tree is deep green in color and has a strong scent of pine. The needles of a fresh tree are hard to pull from branches and do not readily fall; also, the branches should bend easily. Finally, the trunk of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground the tree should not lose many needles

Displaying a Live Tree

• Trees should be securely fastened in the holder
• Keep the tree in an area away from a radiator, fireplace, or other heat source
• Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways
• Because heated rooms dry live trees out rapidly, be sure to keep the stand filled with water. Water your tree often
• When the tree becomes dry, (responsibly) discard it promptly
• Never put tree branches in a fireplace or wood-burning stove

Artificial Trees

• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label “Fire Resistant.” Although this label does not mean the tree will not catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree

Decorating a Tree

• Use only UL-labeled tree lights. Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, which indicates conformance with safety standards
• Do not overload outlets. Be careful how many items you plug into a receptacle. Be careful where you lay cords and lights. For added electric shock protection, plug outdoor lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable outdoor GFCIs can be purchased where electrical supplies are sold. A qualified electrician can permanently install GFCIs into household circuits
• Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections, and discard damaged sets. Do not use damaged lights
• Use no more than 3 standard-sized sets of lights per single extension cord
• Do not intentionally knot or tangle the wires
• Do not leave lights on unattended. Always unplug lights before leaving the house or going to bed
• Use only lights designated for outdoor use, outdoors. Do not use indoor-only labeled lights outdoors

Outdoor Holiday Lights

• Use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, which indicates conformance with safety standards
• For added electric shock protection, plug outdoor lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable outdoor GFCIs can be purchased where electrical supplies are sold. A qualified electrician can permanently install GFCIs into household circuits
• Fasten outdoor lights securely to trees, house walls, or other firm supports to protect the lights from wind damage. Use only insulated staples (available at hardware stores) to hold strings in place, not nails or tacks

Other Decorations

• Never use real candles on a tree or near other evergreens or decorations. Open flames from candles can often lead to fire. December is the peak month for candle fires, with nearly twice the average number of incidents
• When decorating the house with candles, always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked over by children or pets
• Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or unleaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children
• Do not smoke near the tree or decorations
• In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to avoid the child swallowing or inhaling small pieces, and avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child to eat them

Fireplaces

• Hang those stockings with care! You can hang your stockings from the mantle on your fireplace, but only do so when there is no fire lit. No matter what, don’t allow any type of decoration to hang from the mantle if there is a fire lit in the fireplace. Hanging decorations are extremely flammable and can ignite just from the heat that your fireplace puts out
• When you remove decorations from your mantle to light a fire in your fireplace, observe the 3-foot rule before lighting a fire in the fireplace. Hang up the stockings, garland, or whatever other decorations you have on your fireplace mantle around other areas of your house, such as on a stairway banister. Just make sure they’re at least 3 feet away from an open flame!
• After opening gifts, do not burn used wrapping paper in the fireplace. Wrapping paper creates hot embers that can easily float to the air and land on an object. As a result, this could cause something in your house to catch fire
• A great way to prevent fireplace holiday decorations from catching fire is to have your fireplace cleaned by a professional chimney sweep at least once a year. Not only does this help to ensure fireplace safety, but it also helps to reduce other fire causing threats such as glaze, soot, and creosote
• Even if you follow the above tips, there’s still a chance your holiday decorations could accidentally catch fire if there’s an open flame. To prevent a fire from getting out of hand and potentially damaging your entire house, keep a fire extinguisher easily accessible for you to grab. Also make sure that the fire extinguisher is operational, is not past its expiration date, and everyone in your home understands how to use the fire extinguisher