Make sure that you keep the season holly and jolly with these safety tips
Everyone wants to focus on having a great time with friends and family this time of year. The easiest way to do that is to plan ahead with these festive safety tips.
For your Vehicle
Don’t let your vehicle run with the keys in.
Don’t leave purchases, valuables, or presents visible in vehicles. Store them in your trunk or somewhere out of sight.
Park in well-lit spots.
Keep your vehicle door locked at all times.
For a safe journey, make sure you’ve prepared your vehicle with winter tires and filling up on washer fluid, etc. You should also check that your battery is looking good and your tire pressure is in range.
Check weather conditions for both where you are and your destination before hitting the road.
Keep a cold-weather survival kit in your vehicle. Include a candle and matches, water, non-perishable food, a first aid kit, flares or reflectors, booster cables and a shovel, an ice scraper, warm clothes, boots and blankets.
Don’t drive if conditions are bad, but if you absolutely need to get where you’re going, slow down and get there fashionably late.
Before you drive, clear snow and ice from your vehicle and be sure you can see through your windshield, windows and mirrors. Make sure your light covers are clear, and remember to clear snow off the hood and roof to prevent snow from flying onto vehicles behind you.
Don’t plug your vehicle in if it’s in a garage, as faulty block heaters and extension cords could be a fire hazard, and garages tend to stay warm enough to not need to plug your vehicle in.
For your Home
Keep your doors locked even when you are home. This counts for garages and any other buildings as well.
Keep your house and yard well-lit at night.
Make sure your address is visible from the street.
Remember that thieves can see inside your house if the inside light is brighter than the outside, so consider using curtains or blinds for your privacy.
Schedule package deliveries for when you are home or coordinate with a neighbour who can receive deliveries for you.
In your Home
Be careful not to overload outlets.
Extension cords are meant to be a temporary measure. Use them as they are intended to be used (outdoors for outdoors and indoors for indoors), and make sure not to hide them under rugs or other materials, as this can cause them to overheat and cause a fire hazard.
Be safe with candles by placing them on stable, heat-resistant surfaces and never leaving them unattended. Alternatively, you can also consider using flameless, battery-operated candles for a safer alternative.
Keep decorations and trees away from heat sources like electric heaters, candles or fireplaces.
Inspect your decorations for frayed cords or broken bulbs before use.
Always turn off holiday lights before going to bed or leaving your home.
With the increased use of furnaces in the winter, make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors on each level of your residence and test your detectors regularly.
Don’t leave electric heaters unattended, and make sure they have adequate airflow and are on a level surface.
Water real Christmas trees daily to prevent them from drying out and becoming a fire hazard
With more cooking going on at home, it’s a great time to test to make sure your smoke alarms are working and replace any batteries that you forgot to when the time change happened. Remember to replace the alarms themselves if they are over ten years old.
Toy safety
Purchase toys with the child’s age in mind. Toys can contain components such as button batteries or magnets that can be swallowed by young children and cause serious injury or death. Consider toys that have battery compartments which require screws rather than slide-to-open levers.
Make sure that gifts for older kids and adults are tucked away when their younger family members are around, as they might also contain small pieces that can cause injury to small children.
Throw out or recycle all toy packaging like plastic bags, plastic wrap, foam, staples, ties and protective film right away so that these potentially dangerous items are out of harm’s way.
Pet safety
Keep small decorations, tinsel or any wayward wires out of reach.
Certain holiday plants like poinsettias, holly, pine needles, ivy garland, lilies and mistletoe can be toxic if ingested by animals.
If using a real tree, make sure that pets are kept out of the water reservoir, as some water additives for real trees can be toxic.
Additionally, if you have a curious climbing pet, make sure to secure your tree to a wall so that the pet and décor don’t take a tumble.
Make sure pets only have access to and open presents while supervised and that they don’t ingest any paper or tape.
Common holiday foods such as chocolate, turkey skin and bones, ham, grapes and raisins, garlic, caffeine, alcohol, onions, certain spices and sweets, especially any containing xylitol, should be avoided. For festive pet-safe foods, there are a variety of sweet and savoury dog treats just for the holidays. If you think your pet has accidentally ingested a toxic food or other material, contact your veterinarian immediately.
If you’re out of town
Tell a neighbour you trust when you are gone and when you will be back so that they can keep an eye out for any changes.
You can use timers to activate lights and radios, making your home appear to be occupied.
Avoid letting people know about your travel plans on social media.
Arrange for daily pickup of mail if it comes to your home so that it doesn’t pile up.
Lower the volume of your telephone ringer to avoid drawing attention to unanswered calls.
Secure all entry points, including garages, sheds, and gates and consider disconnecting garage door openers.
Request your trusted neighbours park in your driveway occasionally and place out garbage cans on collection days.
Avoid Scammers
Fraudsters, unfortunately, don’t take the holidays off. Make sure to be extra aware that you aren’t giving out any personal information over the phone, even if it’s to a trusted family member, without verifying the source of the call is authentic.
Have a happy and safe holiday season.
