Extra
fuel to a house fire.....
Well
let us hope not! A sobering thought to anyone in the midst of
celebrating this festive season is the fact that you are 50% more
likely to die in a house fire over the Christmas period than at any
other time during the year.
How
to stay safe during the 12 days of Christmas and beyond....
Ensuring
you purchase only safe electrical items and ensure they are used
safely is a great start, however even the best managed household can
quickly become an inferno with the added complacency that
automatically occurs over Christmas.
Christmas
Trees.
Christmas
trees are one of the biggest culprits of electrical and other
injuries with over 1000 visits every year to A&E taking place
thanks to an injury caused by a Christmas tree. A further 350 people
visit A&E following an injury caused by Christmas tree lights.
Avoid storing items too close to your Christmas tree – just this
week a house fire was caused by clothing being left too close to a
Christmas tree, the
fire was discovered and put out by the
householders who luckily were at home and were alerted by their smoke
alarm. However, had they have not been at home, or worse still had
no smoke alarm, this story would have been far worse.
A
video showing how quickly a Christmas tree can ignite a room can be
seen here
In less than one minute, fire has engulfed a room. For anyone who
doesn't yet have a smoke alarm, please watch this video, it will be a
wake up call.
Decorations,
lights and Christmas cards
These
are
all part of Christmas, however they are also excellent fuel to a
fire. The best advice is to not overload extension leads, and ensure
an RCD is used on outdoor Christmas lights. It is also important to
switch all lights off before going to bed. Now is the time of year
to test your smoke alarm if you haven't done so recently and if need
be replace the batteries. Never be tempted to take the batteries out
and if you don't currently have a smoke alarm, advice
can be obtained from fire alarm services companies in London to ensure your home is as protected as possible from fire.
In
addition, be aware of babies and young children who may be tempted to
pull at Christmas lights and cable leading to risk of electric shock.
Christmas tree light bulbs and decorations can also be a choking
hazard.
Fake
Electrical Products
This
year is no exception to the amount of fake electrical goods being
offered for sale by unscrupulous traders. Do not shop out of
desperation. If that much wanted gadget is suddenly readily
available at a cheap price, then alarm bells should be ringing.
Always shop from reputable stores and if you have a concern about an
electrical item then do not use it.
Next
Monday will be the biggest shopping day in the run up to the festive
season, so be sure to stay on your guard against fake electricals.
Conclusion
Take
a few simple precautions now will ensure you have the merriest of
Christmases and what may seem like a “Christmas killjoy” article
may save your life!
If
you have an electrical concern, it is worth calling an electrical contractor in London who will take a look for you. It is better to
address the problem now than risk it manifesting itself over the
festive season.
No comments:
Post a Comment