Everyone has an Elf on the Shelf these days! We’ve got our own Elf here at Oliver, who keeps an eye on all the boys and girls to make sure everyone is staying safe! He just brought us this report from the North Pole, we hope it helps you this holiday season:
- Keep the tree properly watered. A dry tree can catch fire with the heat from the lights.
- Turn off the lights on the tree before going to bed or leaving the house.
Blow out unattended candles. Candles are the number 1 cause of fires around the holidays. - When going out for Christmas parties leave a few house lights on to prevent a break in. Crime is high around the holidays so try not to leave a dark house for long periods of time.
- If deep frying a turkey be sure to completely defrost the turkey before putting it into the fryer. A frozen turkey can cause a fire in seconds in a fryer.
- Use proper GFCI outlets and be sure the ground plug is still intact in any and all cords especially when plugging in outside or near water.
- Most rooms in homes are equipped with a 15 amp circuit at best. Do not overload any one outlet or one room circuit. Plug in lights at different spots in the house. Remember the other devices that are plugged in already such as your TV, lights, computer, etc.
- Check the chimney condition and/or flue damper to make sure it is clear and will exhaust the fumes before lighting a fire.
- Keep kids away from fire crackers on New Year’s Eve. Some have short fuses and will light off faster. The little black cat fireworks can do extensive damage if they explode in your hand.
- Light off fire works in an open area not near any trees. Dry trees will catch fire.
- If lighting off a lot of fireworks drag the garden hose to the area just in case.
- Last but not least make sure the glass is full of milk and the plate is full of cookies for Santa Claus!
The Official Oliver Blog 