It is that time of year. Thanksgiving has passed and folks cannot wait to put their Christmas trees and other decorations up. Some will put up their artificial trees, but many will put up live trees from a Christmas tree farm or from some lot, somewhere in the area. When picking a live tree that is dying, it is important to choose the freshest tree possible. One way to determine freshness is to pull on the branches. If needles come off in your hand, leave that tree on the lot. You want to start with a tree that will last the longest, especially if you put it up weeks before Christmas.
When you put the tree up, pick the spot in your home carefully. You will want to be sure to keep it away from heat sources that will dry the tree more rapidly. The minimum distance for heat sources to combustibles is three feet. Though you may not want to think about this, you need to ask this question, if your tree catches fire, will its location block a way out of your home? I would venture to say yes, wherever the tree is placed in your home. This being the case, you will need to revise your home escape plan. Another question to ask is, will the burning tree block your access to your children? This has to be a game changer, or in other words, a different location for your tree.
Now that you have found the best place for your tree, you need to put it in a stand and water it. You must keep the tree watered. If your tree dries out and the needles start falling off, then the tree needs to go. Telling you that your tree must go is like telling the VBS crowd that displays cannot stretch from floor to ceiling. Dry Christmas trees are like gasoline when they catch fire. They burn hot and fast, which leads to the ignition of things around the tree. You must check your smoke alarms monthly. When you bring a live tree into your home, you should check them weekly.
Let me share a short war story. A family lived in a two-story home. They placed a live tree downstairs. They went to bed one night only to wake up in the middle of the night to their downstairs engulfed in flames. The point of origin was the Christmas tree. This family now had to escape from the second floor. Dad decided to use an extension cord to lower his children down and amazingly, it worked! This is a perfectly good reason to go out and buy a rescue ladder. Now that I went there, you must practice with it, once you get it home.
I want to go back to the practiced, home escape plan. Face it; most of you do not have one. If you are going to exponentially increase the probability of fire in your home, you need a plan. There have been amazing stories of self-rescue from upstairs windows. However, there have also been tragic stories of people losing their lives, due to a fire in their home. A practiced, home escape plan sends you to bed, every night, prepared for the unexpected. Wouldn’t you want that peace of mind?
I am going to finish this, talking about lights. Whether you are putting lights on your tree or on the outside of your house, you need to check them for proper operation. If there is a problem with the lights, replace them. Faulty electrical wiring is a common heat source that causes fires. Finding issues, before they show themselves in a much worse way, is a good thing. Do everything possible to prevent a fire from occurring in your home.
