After Thanksgiving, people are anxious to pull out those Christmas decorations and start preparing for yet another holiday. It is supposed to be a time for family and happy memories. To keep it that way, take the proper precautions with your festive lighting. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association said that “holiday lights and other decorative lighting were involved with an approximate average of 160 home fires per year, which resulted in nine civilian deaths, 13 civilian injuries, and $9 million in property damage per year.” Those are some scary numbers to see. Some of that damage could have been minimized or prevented with home security systems with smoke detectors. However, other preventive tips can also be of assistance to you.

Look Over Your Inventory

Even if all your decorations looked good when you packed it up last year, look it over again and check for wear or breaks. Electrical issues are one of the main hazards that occur. Only use heavy-duty extension cords. Also, if you have an artificial tree, check to see that it is flame-retardant. Also, there are Christmas tree alarms that look like an ornament you hang in the tree. It detects heat over 150 degrees and sounds an alarm. Live trees should be fresh and green without dyes or dead, dry needles. Listing of more tips:

Keep the tree more than 3 feet from any sources of heat
Make sure the tree stays hydrated, refill water daily
Only use UL lighting
Don’t overload your power outlets
Turn off all lights each night
Store gifts away from bulbs and heaters
Avoid throwing gift wrapping into the fireplace (flash fire)
Use clips and not nails or staples to hang lights to avoid wire damage

Home Security and Safety

Some may ask, what does my home security system have to do with fire prevention? Today’s home security systems connect to the smoke detectors and get monitored 24/7. The New York DOH reported that 70% of deaths from a house fire occurred where there were no working or no existing smoke alarms. They also state that a working smoke alarm would reduce the risk of dying due to fire by 50%. These are vital statistics. They show how necessary a smoke detector is in your home. Even so, many overlook this item when it comes to maintaining.

Allied Home Security

At Allied Home Security, we want you to be safe no matter what time of year it is. The best way to keep your family and home safe is to have a home security system installed and monitored. By doing this, you ensure that someone is looking out for you 24/7, whether you are home or not. Additionally, having your home monitored means there is someone always there on the other end of the line for you whenever it is needed. Emergency responders are dispatched immediately upon the alert. At Allied, our home security control panels are capable of a two-way conversation with the monitoring company.

No one wants a fire in their home. Thankfully, there are many ways to prevent this from happening. Be sure to take the precautions seriously. Keep your smoke detectors in good health. Most importantly, give us a call at Allied Home Security and find out more about how you can keep your home secured and safe for your family.