Once again the holiday season is upon us and everyone will be celebrating with their families and friends. Whether its Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwanzaa everyone should ensure that their homes are safe for the holidays. At this time of the year fires can be started by candles, holiday lights, discarded smoking materials, and the cooking of meals. There are also over 150 Christmas Tree fires in the United States at this time of the year. Christmas Tree fires cause numerous deaths and injuries each year along with millions of dollars in property damage.

Listed below are some holiday safety tips. Please review them to help keep your home and family safe during the holiday season. For more holiday safety tips, pamphlets are available at Willingboro Fire Department Headquarters, or on the web by going to www.NFPA.org. On behalf of the officers and firefighters of the Willingboro Fire Department please have a happy and safe holiday season.

TREES

When buying a live tree, check for freshness - green needles, trunk sticky with resin, and few lost needles when tapped on the ground.

Never place a fresh Christmas tree next to a heat source. Heat dries out trees and makes them easier to catch on fire.

Keep your tree stand filled with water at all times.

When the tree gets dry, get rid of it. Look for a recycling center near you.

Never burn a Christmas tree or its branches in a fireplace or wood stove.

When buying an artificial tree, look for the label "Fire Resistant" or "Flame Retardant."

LIGHTS, CANDLES, AND OTHER DECORATIONS

Use only Underwriters Laboratories- or Intertek- (ETL) listed holiday lights.

Check lights each year. Replace those with frayed or heavily kinked wires, gaps in insulation, or cracked sockets.

When decorating outside, use only lights labeled for outdoor use.

Do not link more than three strings of lights.

Turn off holiday lights when you leave your home or go to bed.

Use sturdy candle holders and place them where they're unlikely to be knocked over.

Blow out candles before you leave your home or go to bed.

Do not burn wrapping paper in the fireplace.

HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING

When cooking for guests, stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on the stove.

If you or your guests smoke, do it outside.

Provide deep ashtrays for smokers. Before dumping ashes in the trash, soak them in water.

After a party, check for ashes and butts on the floor and seat cushions where people were smoking.

HOLIDAY FIRE FACTS

Fire deaths are highest in the winter months.

During the holiday season each year, fires injure about 2,600 people.

From 2031-2017 Christmas trees were associated with an average of 160 fires, 3 deaths, 15 injuries, and about $10 million in property losses each year.

U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 780 home structure fires per year that began with decorations, excluding Christmas trees, in 2013-2017. These fires caused an annual average of three civilian fire deaths, 34 civilian fire injuries and $12 million in direct property damage.

On average, 22 home candle fires were reported each day between 2013-2017. Candle fires peak in December, with January ranked second. Eighteen percent of December candle fires started in the living room and 8% started in the dining room compared to 14% and 3% for those areas during the rest of the year. The two peak days for candle fires were Christmas and Christmas Eve.