Tis the Season for Safety

The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and warmth. Families gather around festive decorations, twinkling lights, and the comforting glow of candles and fireplaces. It’s fun to decorate for the winter holidays, but holiday decorations can increase your risk for a home fire. As you deck the halls this holiday season, the Department of Fire Rescue & Beach Safety has some tips to ensure your holidays are not only festive but also fire-safe.

Candle Caution: Almost half of the home decoration fires in December are started by candles, with Christmas day as the peak day for candle fires. Think about using battery-operated flameless candles. Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that burns.

Mindful Lighting: Inspect holiday lights for frayed wires, broken bulbs, or any signs of damage before hanging them. Replace damaged lights immediately. Be sure turn off holiday lights and decorations before going to bed or leaving the house. Consider using a timer to automate this process, ensuring your home is not unnecessarily exposed to electrical risks. Read manufacturer’s instructions for the number of light strands to connect.

Tree Safety: A dry Christmas tree can burn very hot and very fast. Make sure your tree is at least 3 feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles or heat vents. Also, make sure your tree does not block exits. More than one in every five Christmas tree fires were caused by a heat source too close to the tree. Get rid of your tree after Christmas or when it is dry. (See below for tree recycling locations in Hollywood).

For more information on how to prevent winter fires, visit: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/holiday/ - And at: https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety/put-a-freeze-on-winter-fires?l=32

Chip-A-Tree
After the holidays, Broward County Parks & Recreation is offering the annual Chip-a-Tree tree recycling program where you can bring your tree to one of multiple Broward County parks to be recycled for free. See below for participating Hollywood parks.

• T.Y. (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park, 3300 North Park Road, Hollywood, Florida 33021: (954) 357-8811
• West Lake Park, 1200 Sheridan Street, Hollywood, Florida 33019: (954) 357-5161

This season's program runs daily from Tuesday, December 26th, 2023, through Monday, January 15th, 2024. Hours vary; call the park of your choice for details. Visit: www.broward.org/Parks/Pages/ChipATreeProgram.aspx for additional information.