Safety during the holidays

Celebrate the holidays safe!

The holidays are, of course, all about cosiness. The whole house is decorated and the Christmas tree is in the living room. Unfortunately, the holidays also bring a high risk of damage and fire. In addition, this year's December will be different from what we are used to with the current corona measures. But fortunately, there is a lot you can do to make it through the holiday season healthily and safely. Read our tips for safe holidays below!

Coronaproof the holidaysMeeting

at home

with

large groups is unfortunately not possible this year. But fortunately, there are plenty of creative ideas to get together during the holidays! Does your family live nearby? Draw up a nice walking route along all the houses and go window-visiting. Or how about unwrapping presents online together? Send your loved ones presents or surprises by post, agree on a time to video call and unwrap the surprises together.

Prevent burglaryDo

you

celebrate

the holidays with family/friends or go away for a few days? Then make sure the house looks occupied. Leave a lamp on or use a timer. This will keep intruders at bay.

Fire safety

Safe gourmet meals

No less than one third of the Dutch get their gourmet sets out from under the dust at Christmas. Very enjoyable of course, but there is also a risk of fire. Therefore, make sure that the raclette set (or the fondue pan) is placed on a non-combustible surface and that there are no inflammable decorations lying around.

Christmas tree

A dry Christmas tree can burn up completely in no less than 30 seconds. What can you watch out for to make sure your Christmas tree gets through December safely?

• A fake one or a real one?

Generally speaking, an artificial Christmas tree is a lot safer than a real one, provided it has a KEMA and TÜV seal of approval. If you prefer a real Christmas tree, keep the tree as wet as possible. A tree with a root ball is much safer than a tree without one. Water a Christmas tree with a root ball daily. If you have a tree without a root ball, you can use a container with a water reservoir to prevent it from drying out.

• Where do you put it?

Place a natural tree preferably in the furthest corner of the room. This prevents the tree from blocking the exit in the event of an emergency. Place the tree securely, in a place where it cannot be knocked over and do not place it too close to flammable materials such as curtains.

Decorating

Only use KEMA-approved lighting. Are the cables of the lights still intact? Check before you plug them in. In addition, never hang garlands near lights and equipment that can get hot and switch lights off when you go to sleep.

Beware of extension cords

Everyone has experienced this: you want to turn on the gourmet set but the outlet turns out to be too far away for the cable. So, two extension cords are plugged together and the raclette set can be turned on. But the risk of short-circuiting is very high, and can even lead to fire! So buy a long extension lead so that you can use your appliances and Christmas lights safely. Cables that are rolled up make it difficult to dissipate the heat and the cable becomes too hot, with the risk of catching fire.

Candles

Do not use real candles in Christmas arrangements or in the tree. Christmas arrangements are often made of inflammable material, so candles are a life-threatening hazard! In addition, always place candles in a sturdy holder on a flat surface and blow them out when you leave the room.

Flame in the pan

Just imagine, you're preparing Christmas dinner and the fire flies in the pan. What should you do if this happens?

• Switch off the cooker and cooker hood immediately

• Cover the pot with a lid or baking sheet

• Leave the pan standing!

• Do not extinguish with water!

Stars

With a nationwide ban on fireworks in 2020, the risk of damage from fireworks is a lot lower this year. You can still light sparklers, but are they as safe as everyone thinks? No: in fact, sparklers are the most dangerous type of fireworks if you look at the figures. People underestimate the dangers and burn themselves. In addition, stargates are also regularly the cause of a fire, through misuse. Therefore, light stargates outside your home and be careful, especially in combination with children and alcohol. If you would like more information on (fire) safety around the holidays, take a look at the website of the fire brigade.

We wish you a happy and safe December!