Keep your house safe for the holidays: The Red Cross provides guides for protection

Joy, happiness … and tragedy.

That’s what happens at this time of year with the last emotion due too often to  Christmas decorations that cause fires in homes.

Last Christmas season, close to 15,000 people were hospitalized for injuries associated with decorating, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

More sobering statistics are provided by the National Fire Protection Association, which found that Fire Departments across the U.S. answered the call for structure fires close to 1,000 times each year from 2018 to 2022.

“December is the peak time for home fires involving candles and holiday decorations,” said Jose Dominguez, chapter CEO of the American Red Cross on Long Island, “Help protect your family by using battery-operated candles and practicing your two-minute escape plan with everyone in your household.”

According to the Red Cross, when a fire starts, you could have less than two minutes to get to safety. That’s why we hear recommendations to go over a fire escape plan and to practice a two-minute drill. The Red Cross says everyone in a household should know two ways to escape from each room. And always remember to never go back inside a burning home, even for pets.

The Red Cross has provided tips for a safe holiday season:

• If you must use candles, keep them away from anything that could burn, and place them out of reach of pets and children. Never leave burning candles unattended.

• Check all holiday light cords to ensure they aren’t frayed or broken. Don’t string too many strands of lights together — no more than three per extension cord.

• Ensure that outside decorations are for outdoor use and fasten lights securely to your home or trees. If using hooks or nails outside, make sure they are insulated to avoid an electrocution or fire hazard.

• If buying an artificial tree, look for a fire-resistant label. When putting it up, keep it away from fireplaces, radiators and other sources of heat. Never use electric lights on metallic trees.

• If getting a live tree, make sure it’s fresh and keep it watered. To test if the tree is fresh, bend the needles up and down to make sure no needles fall off.

• Don’t light the fireplace if hanging stockings or other decorations on the mantel.

The Red Cross also urges the public to install smoke alarms on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area. These should be tested once a month and the batteries replaced at least once a year.

For those who can’t afford smoke alarms or are physically unable to install one, the Red Cross says it can help. Visit soundthealarm.org/li for more information about requesting a free smoke alarm or to sign up as a volunteer to help.

Information from the Red Cross has saved lives during the holidays and every other part of the year. According to its findings, since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, working with community partners, has saved at least 2,246 lives by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country.

To learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved, visit redcross.org/homefires.