Envista's Seasonal Fire Safety Bulletin | Winter 2024

Each season brings unique fire risks, and being prepared is key to prevention.

Envista's Seasonal Fire Safety Bulletin is here to guide you through the specific challenges each time of year presents. In every bulletin, we focus on the most common causes of fires for the season and share practical tips to help keep you safe.

Common Winter Fire Causes

As the temperatures drop, fire risks rise. This winter, we’re sharing insights into seasonal fire hazards—from heating equipment malfunctions to holiday-related risks—and how you can proactively address them.

Fire Risk #1: Unattended Holiday Candles

Hazard
Candle fires are four times as likely to occur during the winter holidays. Candles smell great but people often forget that a candle is lit or think it will be fine to leave while they are gone. Over the years, this has caused many fires, especially during the holidays.

Placing candles on holiday trees is a tradition in many homes. Whether your tree is natural or artificial, candles on a tree are dangerous and should not be done.

Prevention

• Use battery-operated candles
• Never leave a candle unattended
• Make sure the candle is stable
• Keep candles away from anything combustible
• Use flashlights instead of candles if there is a power outage
• Make sure your smoke alarm is operational

Fire Risk #2: Cooking & Deep-Frying Foods

Hazard
The three leading dates for home fires caused by cooking are Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. That's why it is important to know what you can do to help keep your friends and family safe while entertaining for the holidays.

Having company over for a meal is a common holiday tradition. With that comes many different cooking hazards. Items left cooking on the stove or on top of a hot cooking surface can cause an unwanted visit by the fire department. Items cooking in the oven and spilling over its dish, using a deep frier with a wet turkey, and the classic, “I forgot it was on the stove” are all very common mistakes made each year.

Prevention

• Don’t cook and drink, as drinking can alter your depth perception and judgment
• Stay in the kitchen while cooking and keep others out of your workspace
• Set timers for items cooking
• If you have a fire on the stovetop, place a lid or a wet towel on top of the burning item
• If there is a fire in the oven, turn off the oven and close the door
• If you do not have a fire extinguisher, baking soda can be used to put out a fire
• When there is a fire, always call 911 to make sure the fire is completely out
• Make sure your smoke alarm is operational

Fire Risk #3: Overuse of Extension Cords

Hazard
This is a problem all year long, but during the holidays people often double or triple their power needs. Many older homes and commercial spaces do not have enough power receptacles. People use extension cords and power strips to get that extra power to overcome this.

Ever seen Clark Griswald’s slightly overloaded outlet, power cord, and multi-plug adapter? You get the idea!

Prevention

•  Never cut away a ground prong to fit an ungrounded two-wire extension cord
• Use power strips with a surge protector
• Cheap, low-quality power strips may not hold up to overuse
• Keep all power strips and surge protectors uncovered so that air around them may circulate freely
• If a power strip is hot to the touch, unplug and discard it immediately
• Check power strips and surge protectors regularly to ensure they are not damaged
• Make sure all items are fully plugged in
• Make sure your smoke alarm is operational

Fire Risk #4: Smoking Fires During Cold Weather

Hazard
In the winter months, when outside temps drop, smokers typically don't want to go outside and will often smoke inside. This can increase the risk of fires in areas already common for fires in a home. A dropped ember from a cigarette onto a blanket or couch can quickly result in a smouldering fire.

The fatality rate due to smoking is nearly four times higher than the overall residential fire rate, and injuries are more than twice as likely.

Smokers may not want to put their smoking material out where they normally do, outside. Dropping hot cigarettes in a waste container inside a house with combustible material or falling asleep with a lit cigarette are likely ways to start a house fire.

Prevention

• Never smoke in bed
• Don’t smoke around pure oxygen, as it increases the ability of things to burn and the rate at which they burn
• Use fire-safe cigarettes
• Put your cigarette out in a metal can
• Before discarding, run your cigarette underwater for a few seconds
• Never toss your cigarette out a window
• Know the hazards of e-cigarettes: recharging an e-cigarette can be an explosive experience and cheap knockoffs are causing fires due to battery failures
• Make sure your smoke alarm is operational

Fire Risk #5: Lithium Batteries

Hazard
Lithium batteries are causing more and more fires every year because they are used in many items nowadays. Electric bikes or scooters are great gifts, but they can cause very destructive fires.

Once a lithium battery starts to fail, it is hard to stop. Many fire departments have stopped extinguishing lithium battery fires, letting them burn out naturally because they take so much water to extinguish and the item is usually completely totalled by the time they arrive.

Prevention

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for storage, use, charging, and maintenance
• Only use approved chargers for the device you are charging
• Store lithium batteries in a cool dry place
• If you damage a lithium battery, stop using it
• Put lithium batteries outside in a safe area away from combustible materials
• Contact the manufacturer or a local battery recycling center to discard lithium batteries
• Do not use a lithium battery that has signs of swelling
• Do not overcharge lithium batteries and do not run them down to zero
• Have a fire extinguisher available nearby
• Make sure your smoke alarm is operational

These are just some of the most common fire hazards our fire investigators encounter during this season. Take these tips and prioritize safety. Stay tuned for our next Fire Safety Bulletin, where we’ll address the fire risks unique to the changing season.