Hardly a day goes by anymore without reading or hearing about another tragedy that has struck someone or a group of people somewhere on this planet. Be it through war, crime, disease or accidental, it seems every day brings news of yet another terrible incident.
And while it may be heartbreaking to hear of these tragedies that occur throughout the year, they are particularly disturbing when they happen just before the holiday season and especially when they involve children.
Take the incidents that happened last week in Saskatchewan when fires in Nipawin and Grenfell killed three young children among others and left both communities, their residents and immediate families distraught at a time of the year when all – particularly children, are overwhelmed with excitement as Christmas draws closer.
While officials have yet to determine the cause of both fires, the blaze in Nipawin resulted in five deaths including six year-old twins, their parents and a family friend while in Grenfell, a six year-old girl is still missing and was believed to have been trapped inside her family’s burning home.
Of course, every year warnings go out from fire departments, governments and police services to be on the lookout for possible fire hazards around Christmastime, especially during brutally cold winters such as the one we are currently experiencing. Yet every year it seems, news surfaces of avoidable tragedies that strike at throughout the holidays.
With that in mind, and at the risk of boring you with more warnings, following are a number of reminders of safety tips gleaned from an Internet near you that hopefully will help make Christmas the joyous holiday it should be and lessen the likelihood of communities like ours having to deal with the aftermath of tragic events such as the ones listed above.
Trees
* When purchasing an artificial tree, look for a label that should read: Fire Resistant. Although this label does not mean the tree won’t catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
* When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green; needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break. The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
* When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces and radiators. Because heated rooms dry live trees out rapidly, be sure to keep the stand filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.
Lights
* Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, which indicates conformance with safety standards.
* Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections, and throw out damaged sets.
* Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.
* Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
* Fasten outdoor lights securely to trees, house walls, or other firm supports to protect the lights from wind damage. Use only insulated staples, not nails or tacks, to hold strings in place. Or, run strings of lights through hooks (available at hardware stores).
* Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire. For added electric-shock protection, plug outdoor electric lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI’s). Portable outdoor GFCI’s can be purchased where electrical supplies are sold and can be installed permanently to household circuits by a qualified electrician.
Decorations
* Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children.
* Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
* 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.
* Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while using spun glass angel hair decorations. Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial snow sprays.
Fireplaces
* Use care with fire salts, which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children.
* Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.
Others
Two other points worth mentioning may also go a long way in ensuring you and your family have a safe and happy holiday season including resisting the urge to take the battery out of your smoke detector – you all have smoke detectors on all floors of your home, right?, and put it in a new toy for your kids.
While industry and fire officials would both like to see those particular type of batteries; the reticular-shaped ones, used exclusively in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, there are still a number of other products out there, including new toys and other electronic devises, that still use those particular sizes.
Another tip you might want to consider over the next little while is to maybe go a bit easy on the consumption of liquor.
With a plethora of Christmas parties and family gatherings sure to bring the Yuletide cheer out in most of us, it’s easy to go a bit overboard and frankly, has become a bit of a tradition – good or otherwise, but please try to keep things in perspective.
Warnings after warning are issued each year at this time – particularly by the RCMP, about the dangers of drinking and driving, but let’s not dismiss the hazards of over-drinking in the home either.
Every year news comes to light about Christmas gatherings that turned tragic because someone passed-out after a night of partying and left the Christmas lights blazing on the tree or left a cigarette burning in the ashtray and the next thing you know, you’re reading about it in the local newspaper.
So with a bit of moderation – or even a designated watcher – sort of like a designated driver except they watch over things at home, the chances of reading about a particular tragedy that happened over the holidays is far less-likely to happen.
After all, the RCMP, fire fighters, EMS and hospital staff in this and every other community would like to enjoy their Christmas in peace and comfort just as much as the rest of us and that certainly doesn’t include rushing to the scene of a preventable situation that could have been avoided.
That way, may we all enjoy a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year!