Salisbury Fire Department

It is fun to decorate for the winter holidays, but holiday decorations can increase your risk of a home fire. As you deck the halls this season, be fire smart.

When you’re decorating with live trees, make sure you keep the tree watered. If a dry tree comes in contact with a flame, it can catch on fire in fewer than 10 seconds and spread quickly throughout your home. Take a minute to watch this video which shows the difference between a dry and watered tree, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZk4vIXCnc8

Here are a few tips to keep your holiday decorations bright and safe:

• Choose the freshest tree you can find. Check to see if the needles stay when you gently pull on a branch.
• After making a fresh cut on the trunk and placing the tree in a stand, fill the stand’s water basin. Make sure you water your tree every day. Keep electrical cords and lights away from the water.
• Choose holiday decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
• Choose holiday lights with a label from an approved testing laboratory, such as UL, and throw away any frayed or damaged light strands.
• Place your tree at least three feet from heat registers, space heaters, and fireplaces.
• If you decorate with candles, make sure they are at least three feet away from anything that can burn.
• Consider using battery-operated flameless candles, which can look, smell and feel like real candles.

Learn more about holiday fire safety on the USFA website. Follow USFA on Twitter at @usfire and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usfire.