Remembering these holiday safety tips will ensure you keep the Town of Smyrna's Professional Fire Fighters off your holiday guest list and enjoy a happy holiday season.

CHRISTMAS TREE FIRE

Carefully decorating Christmas trees can help make your holidays safer.

Facts & Figures*

In 1998, Christmas trees were the first item ignited in 300 home fires, resulting in 11 injuries and $8 million in direct property damage.
The leading cause of Christmas tree fires and property damage was short circuit or ground fault (21%). In this category, electrical failure other than short circuit ranked second in number of fires, injuries and property damage with the exception of the "other known" category.
Cords and plugs were the leading type of equipment involved in the ignition of Christmas trees.
Unspecified short circuit arc accounted for an average of more than 100 fires (20%), no civilian deaths, 14 civilian injuries, and $3.3 million in direct property damage from 1994-1998.
(*From NFPA's U.S. Home Product Report, Forms and Types of Materials First Ignited)

News Story: Holiday Tree Fire Hazards (video)

PREVENTING HOLIDAY TREE FIRES

Safety Tips

When decorating Christmas trees, always use safe tree lights. (Some lights are designed only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.) Larger tree lights should also have some type of reflector rather than a bare bulb and all lights should be listed by a testing laboratory.

Never use electric lights on a metal tree.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to use tree lights. Any string of lights with worn, frayed or broken cords or loose bulb connections should not be used.

Always unplug Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to sleep.

Never use lit candles to decorate a tree, and place them well away from tree branches.

Try to keep live trees as moist as possible by giving them plenty of water daily. Do not purchase a tree that is dry or dropping needles.

Choose a sturdy tree stand designed not to tip over.

When purchasing an artificial tree, be sure it is labeled as fire-retardant.

Children are fascinated with Christmas trees. Keep a watchful eye on them when around the tree and do not let them play with the wiring or lights.

Store matches and lighters up high, out of the reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet.

Make sure the tree is at least three feet (one meter) away from any heat source and try to position it near an outlet so that cords are not running long distances. Do not place the tree where it may block exits.

Safely dispose of the tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried-out trees are highly flammable and should not be left in a house or garage, or placed against the house.

CANDLE SAFETY

Remember that a candle is an open flame. It can easily ignite any combustible nearby.

Facts and Figures*

Candle fires reached a 19-year high of 12,540 in 1998, resulting in 157 deaths, 1,106 civilian injuries and $176.1 million in property damage.
Unattended, abandoned or inadequately controlled candles are the leading cause of home candle fires (37%), followed by leaving candles too close to combustibles (19%), according to annual averages from 1994-98. Nine percent were started by children playing with candles.
December is the peak month for candle fires, with nearly twice the average number of incidents.
Almost half (44%) of home candle fires start in the bedroom.
*Source: NFPA's Candle Fires in U.S. Homes and Other Occupancies

Safety Tips:

Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep.

Keep candles away from items that can catch fire (e.g. clothing, books, paper, curtains, Christmas trees, flammable decorations).

Use candle holders that are sturdy, won't tip over easily, are made from a material that can't burn and are large enough to collect dripping wax.

Don't place lit candles in windows, where blinds and curtains can close over them.

Place candle holders on a sturdy, uncluttered surface and do not use candles in places where they could be knocked over by children or pets.

Keep candles and all open flames away from flammable liquids.

Keep candle wicks trimmed to one-quarter inch and extinguish taper and pillar candles when they get to within two inches of the holder or decorative material. Votives and containers should be extinguished before the last half-inch of wax starts to melt.

Avoid candles with combustible items embedded in them.

Candles & children:

Keep candles up high out of reach of children.

Never leave a child unattended in a room with a candle. A child should not sleep in a room with a lit candle.

Don't allow children or teens to have candles in their bedrooms.

Store candles, matches and lighters up high and out children's sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.

During power outages:

Try to avoid carrying a lit candle. Don't use a lit candle when searching for items in a confined space.

Never use a candle for a light when checking pilot lights or fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern. The flame may ignite the fumes.

Planning ahead can help make this Halloween a fire-safe one. Taking simple fire safety precautions, like making sure fabrics for costumes and decorative materials are flame-resistant, can prevent fires.

Remembering these simple precautions can make your Halloween safe and memorable.

Focus on Fire Safety: Fireworks

By the Numbers: Fireworks

8,800 Number of injuries caused by fireworks in 2009

2 out of 5 People injured by fireworks were under 15 years of age

22,500 Number of fires caused by fireworks in 2008

$42 million Amount of direct property loss caused by fireworks in 2008

Sources: Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC, 2009) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA, 2008)

Every year in the United States, we celebrate the Fourth of July with community parades, picnics, barbecues, and fireworks - the things of which happy memories are made. But sadly, Independence Day also includes tragic events resulting from fireworks use. The safest way to enjoy them is through public displays conducted by professional pyrotechnicians hired by communities. Learning fireworks safety tips can help ensure that everyone has a happy and safe summer holiday.

Who is at Most Risk?

In 2009, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 8,800 people for fireworks-related injuries. 67% of these injuries occurred between June 19 - July 19. Of these:

73 percent were to males and 27 percent were to females.
Children under 15 years old accounted for 39 percent of the estimated injuries.
Children and young adults under 20 years old had 54 percent of the estimated injuries.
An estimated 1,200 injuries were associated with firecrackers. Of these, 700 were associated with small firecrackers, 200 with illegal firecrackers, and 300 where the type of firecracker was not specified.
An estimated 1,000 injuries were associated with sparklers and 300 with bottle rockets.
The parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (estimated 1,900 injuries), eyes (1,600 injuries), and head, face, and ears (900 injuries).
More than half of the injuries were burns. Burns were the most common injury to all parts of the body except the eyes, where contusions, lacerations, and foreign bodies in the eye occurred more frequently.
Most patients were treated at the emergency department and then released. An estimated 8 percent of patients were treated and transferred to another hospital or admitted to the hospital.

How and Why Do These Injuries Occur?

Did You Know?

The tip of a sparkler burns at a temperature of about 2,000°F this is hot enough to cause third degree burns.

Availability: In spite of federal regulations and varying state prohibitions, many types of fireworks are still accessible to the public. Distributors often sell fireworks near state borders, where laws prohibiting sales on either side of the border may differ.
Fireworks type: Among the various types of fireworks, some of which are sold legally in some states, bottle rockets can fly into peoples' faces and cause eye injuries; sparklers can ignite clothing (sparklers burn at about 2,000°F); and firecrackers can injure the hands or face if they explode at close range.
Being too close: Injuries may result from being too close to fireworks when they explode; for example, when someone leans over to look more closely at a firework that has been ignited, or when a misguided bottle rocket hits a nearby person.
Lack of physical coordination: Younger children often lack the physical coordination to handle fireworks safely.
Curiosity: Children are often excited and curious around fireworks, which can increase their chances of being injured (for example, when they re-examine a firecracker dud that initially fails to ignite).
Experimentation: Homemade fireworks (for example, ones made of the powder from several firecrackers) can lead to dangerous and unpredictable explosions.

What Can I Do?

The best way to protect your family is not to use any fireworks at home period. Attend public fireworks displays and leave the lighting to the professionals.
Kids should never play with fireworks. Sparklers can reach 2,000° Fahrenheit hot enough to melt some metals.
Steer clear of others fireworks have been known to backfire or shoot off in the wrong direction. Never throw or point fireworks at someone, even in jest.
Don't allow kids to pick up pieces of fireworks after an event. Some may still be ignited and can explode at any time.
Think about your pet. Animals have sensitive ears and can be extremely frightened or stressed on the Fourth of July. Keep pets indoors to reduce the risk that they'll run loose or get injured.

Fireworks Regulations

Permissible dates and times of discharge.

Town of Smyrna
Ordinance No. 02-35
Title 7
Chapter 5
Section: 7-501

The discharge of common fireworks within the corporate limits of the Town of Smyrna shall be restricted to the following dates and times.

July 03 through July 05 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.
December 31 through January 02 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, on the dates of July 04 and December 31 of each year, the discharge of common fireworks shall be restricted to between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m.