Christmas Tree Safety: How to Avoid Decorating Disasters and Christmas Tree Fires

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — The Peltzer Pines Christmas Tree lot is full of gorgeous trees, ready to cut and take home. But is having a real tree a huge safety hazard?

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, during November and December 2015, there were six fatalities and an estimated 14,000 injuries treated in hospital ERs nationwide, due to holiday decorations.

"That’s an average of about 230 injuries per day during the holiday season," a recent CPSC report stated ."Falls, lacerations, back strains and ingestion of foreign objects were among the top holiday decorating-related injuries last season."

With regards to the tree this year, many artificial trees are fire resistant. If you buy one, look for a statement specifying this protection, the CPSC said. "A fresh tree will stay green longer and be less of a fire hazard than a dry tree," they said.

But how can you be sure about your tree's freshness?

If you don't cut it yourself, as you can at Orange County's Peltzer Pines Brea and Santiago Canyon locations, you need to know what to look for when you go Christmas tree shopping.

How can you tell if a Christmas Tree is fresh?

• A fresh tree is green.
• Fresh needles are hard to pull from branches.
• When bent between your fingers, fresh needles do not break.
• The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin.
• When the trunk of a tree is bounced on the ground, a shower of falling needles shows that tree is too dry.

How to Keep your Christmas tree fire safe:

• Place tree away from fireplaces, radiators and other heat sources. Heated rooms dry trees out rapidly, creating fire hazards.
• Cut off about two inches of the trunk to expose fresh wood for better water absorption. Trim away branches as necessary to set tree trunk in the base of a sturdy, water-holding stand with wide spread feet.
• Keep the stand filled with water while the tree is indoors.
• Always unplug your Christmas Tree Lights when you leave the house, or before you go to bed.

Do you have pets in the house? or kids who love to rough house indoors? Secure that tree to keep it from tipping over!

• Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.
• Use thin guy-wires to secure a large tree to walls or ceiling. These wires are almost invisible.

12 Tips on Preventing Christmas decorating disasters:

• Avoid Cuts — Take special care with sharp, weighted, or breakable decorations. Lacerations were among the top reported decoration–related injuries last year.
• Avoid Temptation — Avoid trimmings that resemble food or candy that may tempt a child to mouth or swallow them.
• Don't Choke! Place decorations with small removable parts that can pose a choking hazard to young children out of reach.
• Newer is Better — Purchase only holiday light sets that bear the marking of a safety testing laboratory.
• Out with the Old — Examine new and old light sets for damage. Discard sets with cracked or broken sockets, frayed or exposed wires, and loose connections.
• Candles in the Window? Keep burning candles in sight and away from places where kids and pets can knock them over. Between 2010 and 2012, candles were the source of an estimated 6,500 residential fires annually, causing 80 deaths, 650 injuries, and $237 million in property loss per year.
• Glow Safely —Place lighted candles away from items that can catch fire, such as trees, other evergreens, decorations, curtains and furniture.
• Buy Wisely —Look for a label that reads “fire resistant” when purchasing an artificial tree.
• Keep it Watered — Place live Christmas trees away from heat sources, and keep trees well watered.
• Don't go Up in Smoke! Watch this dramatic fire demonstration of what happens when a dry tree comes in contact with a heat source.
• Be Ladder Safe! Use caution on ladders. Read our Ladder Safety 101 blog for tips to prevent ladder falls this season. 41% of holiday decorating injuries involve falls. Falls from ladders account for about half of these incidents.
• Education is Key! Start with safety in mind. Download and follow CPSC’s Holiday Decoration Safety Tips guide.

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