Falcon residents may want to welcome not only Santa Claus into their home this holiday season, but also the Falcon Fire Protection District.Wes Tulli, the FFPD public education coordinator, said the department performs courtesy home inspections to identify possible fire hazards during the holiday season. He said many factors contribute to unsafe holiday decorating.”Look for ways a fire can start or ways fire can travel, such as a missing outlet cover, overloading the sockets, holes in the walls where fires can get into, chemical storage and electrical extension cords.”Christmas lights can be a hazard if not used properly, he said.”Make sure there are no shorts on the strands of Christmas lights and utilize outlets. Don’t plug everything into one outlet.”Only purchase Christmas lights with an Underwriters Laboratory (UL) label, Tulli said. For outside decorations, only use lights labeled for outdoor use. Always unplug lights before leaving home or going to bed, and never put electrical lights on a metal Christmas tree, he said.Keep trees fresh and place Christmas trees in a sturdy stand away from heat sources and exits, he said, and water trees daily. Be sure artificial trees are labeled as fire-retardant.The leading factor contributing to Christmas tree fires and property damage is a heat source too close to combustibles, said Regina Legoo, National Safety Council communications coordinator. Forty-four percent of Christmas tree fires in homes involved no equipment, but, when equipment was cited as the fire source, it was usually electrical system components, such as tree lights or the system feeding the power.According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, last year 1,730 injuries were associated with artificial Christmas trees, 1,749 injuries were caused by electrical Christmas decorations other than lights, 3,970 injuries were associated with Christmas tree lights and 6,168 injuries were caused by non-electrical Christmas decorations, Legoo said. The statistics represent reported injuries treated in hospital emergency departments. The CPSC deals with artificial trees only.If there are questions about safety issues concerning the Christmas tree, Tulli said play it safe and call the Falcon Fire Department at 495-4050 for a courtesy home inspection.
