No matter your reason for celebrating this season, your local SERVPRO® Franchise Professional wants you to be able to enjoy the month of December safely. This issue of the Newsline is dedicated to creating awareness of several potential dangers like that come with holiday decorations.

This issue of the Newsline covers topics such as:

• The potential danger of Christmas
  tree fires, including statistics from
  the U.S. Fire Administration.
• Tips on how to safely use festive
  holiday candles around the home,
  also including statistics from the
  U.S. Fire Administration.
• Tips on how to minimize your
  risk for the seasonal flu, from the
  Center for Disease Control.

Of course, if disaster does strike your home or business during the holiday season, SERVPRO® Franchise Professionals are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After all, we’ve been helping keep homes merry and bright for more than 40 years.

If your home – like 33 million other households in the U.S. – includes a natural Christmas tree in its holiday decorations, the breathtaking beauty of the decoration comes with a fire risk. Be sure to check out the tips listed below, and see page 2 of this issue for  more safety information.

• If your tree is watered regularly,
  your risk for Christmas tree
  fires decreases significantly.
• Keep your tree well away from
  open flames – like candles
  and fireplaces.
• Be sure you don’t overload
  power outlets with holiday
  lights. Pay close attention to
  the manufacturers instructions
  on the number of lights you
  can string together.

WITH THE ONSET OF THE HOLIDAY season, homeowners and business owners across the country will begin decorating their properties with festive lights, trees, candles and more. While these items can add plenty of charm and cheer, there are a few potential dangers your customers and loved ones should be
aware of during the winter months. Candles alone cause an estimated 15,600 fires each year, causing 1,270 injuries and more than $539 million in property damage.

December is the peak month for candle fires, and Christmas day is the peak day. More than half of all candle fires start because the candle is set too close to a combustible material. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Christmas trees account for an estimated 200 fires annually and cause more than $6 million in property damage. These fires can be easily prevented simply by keeping your live tree watered.

The USFA has a fascinating, side-by-side video posted on its website (www.usfa.dhs.gov) comparing a adequately watered Christmas tree next to a dry, neglected tree. Within a mere 40 seconds of ignition, the dry tree has erupted into flames and consumed all oxygen in the room. By comparison, the “wet tree” resists the ignition, evenwhen a propane torch is applied.

Safety Tips

• Use sturdy, safe candle holders placed on a
  surface where they cannot be easily
  knocked down.
• Never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Never leave a candle lit while sleeping.
  Consider using battery-operated,
  flame lesscandles.
• Be careful not to splatter wax when
  extinguishing a candle.
• Use flashlights rather than candles for
  emergency lighting.
• Keep your Christmas tree well watered.
• Do not purchase a tree that is dry or
  dropping needles excessively.
• If you purchase an artificial tree, be sure it
  is labeled as fire-retardant.
• Always unplug or switch off lights when
  leaving the house or before going to bed.
• Do not use strings of lights that are worn,
  frayed, manually spliced or broken.
• Do not link more than three light strands,
  unless the directions indicate it is safe.
  Connect strings of lights to an extension
  cord before plugging the cord into the
  outlet. Make sure to periodically check
  the wires – they should not be warm to
  the touch.

WITH WINTER COMES THE ANNUAL FLU season, and this year the flu is causing much more concern than usual. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists the flu as a serious disease. Each year in the United States, an average of 200,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 people die from seasonal flu complications.

The health experts at the CDC are all providing the same advice: proper hygiene is a powerful public health preventative measure. For a partial list of the CDC’s preventative tips, see the list in the next column. For a full list, visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/flu.

Safety Tips

The CDC recommends a yearly seasonal flu vaccine as the most important step in protecting against seasonal influenza. Take everyday preventative actions.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue
  when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue
  in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
  If soap and water are not available, use an
  alcohol-based hand rub.
  Take flu antiviral drugs if your
  doctor recommends them.
• Antiviral drugs can make illness milder and
  shorten the time you are sick. They may
  also prevent serious flu complications.
• Antiviral drugs are not sold over-the-counter
  and are different from antibiotics.
• For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if
  started within the first 2 days of symptoms.

Fire Damage Restoration ma

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers the following eye-opening statistics on fires:

• 515,000 structure fires were
  reported in the United States
  in 2008.
• $12.3 billion in property damage
  occurred in structure fires.
• One structure fire was reported
  every 61 seconds.

ALL HAS ARRIVED, AND AS THE HOLIDAYS draw near, it is important for you and your customers to be aware of the increased risk of fires in the home.
Did you know there are more residential fires on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year? The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) found that from 2002-2003, an average of 5,200 fires occurred on Thanksgiving Day, causing $21 million in property damage.

Not surprisingly, the leading cause of these Thanksgiving fires was cooking accidents. Most of these fires were started on the stove or in the oven, and a leading factor proved to be residents leaving their food unattended while cooking. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported that in 2005, fire departments responded to 146,400 home fire damage situations that involved cooking equipment, resulting in more than $870 million in property damage.

Read on for tips to help keep your family and your customers safe this season.

Safety Tips

• Stay in the kitchen when you are frying,
  grilling or broiling food. If you leave the
  kitchen, even for a short time, turn off
  the stove.
• Keep anything that can catch fire -
  potholders, towels or curtains – away
  from your stovetop.
• Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet
  around the stove and areas where hot
  food or drink is prepared or carried.
• Always keep an oven mitt and lid nearby
  when you’re cooking. If a small grease
  fire starts in a pan, put on an oven mitt
  and smother the flames by carefully
  sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off
  the burner.
• Never use a wet oven mitt, as it presents
  a scald danger if the moisture in the mitt
  is heated.
• Have a smoke alarm installed in your
  kitchen. Ensure it is in working order.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, more than 4,000 Americans die and another 20,000 are injured in fires each year. It’s a sobering statistic, but there are steps you can take to help keep your loved ones safe during such an emergency.

Having a written, practiced plan for escape is essential in the workplace and at home. The following are several fire escape planning tips suggested by the U.S. Fire Administration.

Safety Tips

Make a plan. Remember, every second counts.

Practice your plan. Make sure you, your employees and
your family are well-versed in escape
routes from every area of your home
or business. Practice leaving the property
with your eyes closed, feeling your way out.

Leave immediately.

Don’t stop for possessions or keepsakes.
Exit as quickly as possible, but if the
smoke has already grown thick, crawl
low and keep your mouth covered. The
smoke contains toxic gases that can
disorient or overcome you.

Never open doors that are hot to the touch.

When you come to a closed door, use the
back of your hand to see if the door is hot
to the touch. If it appears the fire is on
the other side of the door, leave it shut
and find another escape route.

Designate a meeting place outside and take attendance.

Designate a meeting location away from
the building, but not necessarily across the
street. For example, meet under a specific
tree to make sure no one gets hurt looking
for people who are already out of the
structure. Designate a person to go to
next door to call 911.

Tips and statistics reproduced from NFPA’s Web site, © NFPA (2009).