Fire Safety

The winter holidays are here! Before you begin your celebrations (if you haven’t already), here are 12 holiday decorating tips you need to know that will keep you and your loved ones safe whether you’re lighting candles or decking the halls.

Tip #1: Give your decorations some space

Almost half of all holiday decoration fires start because a decoration was too close to a heat source. Three out of every five candle fires start because flammable items—furniture, bedding, or decorations—were near the flame. To safeguard your family and your home, keep candles at least a foot away from anything flammable, your trees at least three feet away from any heat source (including candles), and keep your kids, kittens, and other small beings away from all the above.

Tip #2: Safe glowing!

Candle care starts with a long-tipped lighter to prevent any potential burns, which may force you to drop the candle and create a dangerous situation. Also, never leave your lit candles unattended or walk with a lit candle, and since half of home fire deaths occur between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., extinguish your flames fully before turning in for the night.

 

Candles are a staple in all winter holidays, and according to the National Fire Protection Association, December is the peak time for candle fires. To lower your home’s risk, place your menorahs and kinaras on a non-flammable surface or on aluminum foil that’s on a sturdy, flat surface. This prevents candles from tipping over and starting a fire. Make sure to pick a place that is out of reach of curious pets and children!

Tip #3: Peruse before you use

Before even plugging in your electrical decorations, examine them for fraying wires and loose or missing bulbs. Replace broken bulbs, and throw out the entire string if you see any exposed wires. It’s better to lose a string of lights than lose your home to a house fire. Double-check to ensure that your electric decorations have been approved by an independent testing lab, such as UL (Underwriter Laboratories), CSA (Canadian Standards Association), and ETL (Intertek), for safety.

Tip #4: Less is more…

“The Rule of Three” applies to incandescent lights as most strands only allow three to be connected at a time. Connecting more can lead to a fire hazard.

Also, be sure not to overload your electrical outlets and never plug in more than one high-wattage appliance per outlet. Forty-four percent of Christmas tree fires started with electrical distribution or lighting equipment problems, so make sure to turn off your lights and candles before heading to bed.

Tip #5: …and check your cords

Lights aren’t the only fire hazard when it comes to holiday decorating. Most light strands connect to extension cords, which can also be frayed or damaged. This not only increases the risk of home fires but can also give you quite a shock. Keep cords in good working order by not pinching them between furniture, squeezing them in windows or doors, placing them under rugs, or attaching them to walls or siding with nails or staples.

Tip #6: Take your decorating outside (but only for 90 days)

Giving outside lights special love and care is one of the most important holiday decorating tips. Since exterior decorations are exposed to the elements, they can suffer from weather damage and critter attacks, so keeping them up longer than 90 days may drastically increase the wear and tear. (The extended time also might annoy your neighbors.)

Tip #7: Don’t buy Charlie Brown’s tree. Really.

All trees are potential kindle, but you can help to prevent a real or artificial tree from catching fire by following these simple rules:

• When shopping for a natural tree, see if it’s losing needles excessively. If so, continue the search.
• Place the tree at least three feet away from your heat sources, including candles.
• Keep your tree hydrated by adding water to it once it’s in the stand and adding water daily.
• Use appropriate lighting, and never use candles.
• Buy flame-resistant or flame-retardant decorations, including your tree (if artificial).
• When the tree begins to lose its needles excessively, it’s time to kick it to the curb.

Also, don’t block a doorway with your tree, so you have a clear exit in case of a fire.

Tip #8: Take your holiday displays and safety to new heights

More than 160 people per day visit the emergency room with injuries related to holiday decorating, and that number increases during November and December. Keep yourself out of the hospital by placing the ladder on stable ground, never standing on the top rung of the ladder, moving the ladder rather than leading too far, and wearing appropriate clothing (fit pants, tied and clean shoes, etc.)

Tip #9: Baby, don’t be a firework

Though not as popular as the Fourth of July, Dec. 30th – Jan. 3rd draws 10 percent of all firework fires. If you plan to celebrate the new year with fireworks, follow all the federal, state, and local laws regarding firework use. Light your fireworks in clear, open areas, on flat surfaces, and have a fire extinguisher ready, just in case.

Tip #10: Invite your smoke alarms to the party

Whether you’re frying latkes, cooking chicken and sausage gumbo, or baking cookies, the winter holidays are a prime time for cooking fires (along with many other types of fires).  Keep your holiday guests safe by ensuring your smoke alarms are ready for the party. Their importance cannot be understated.

Test your alarms (even hardwired detectors) to ensure they’re functional, and if you’re using battery-operated detectors, not only test the batteries but also keep an extra set around, just in case it starts to chirp. Of course, this is just a holiday decorating tip. Make sure to keep your smoke alarms functioning properly year-round.

Tip #11: Leave poison off the menu

We’ve written about Thanksgiving cooking safety with tips you should follow when preparing your winter holiday meal. Winter holidays demand an extra level of attention with poisonous materials around the house. Wash your hands after hanging lights (which have lead in the strands) and keep the holly and mistletoe out of reach of children and animals. Head over to the National Capital Poison Center for additional holiday poison safety information.

Tip#12 – Keep up with home maintenance 

Home maintenance never takes a holiday. Gain peace of mind and enjoy the holiday season by keeping your home working properly. While cleaning your dryer exhaust vent may not be top of mind in December, you may consider doing this if it’s been a year or more since it’s been cleaned. A dirty dryer exhaust vent can be a fire hazard. Similarly, you may need to get your furnace inspected or cleaned, have your hot water heater flushed, or test your sump pumps. By completing these and other home maintenance tasks as you needed, you can avoid “home surprises” and enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday.

Not sure how to keep up with home maintenance? The vipHome.app can help. Download the app now! 

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In the unfortunate event of a home fire, you may have less than two minutes to escape your home safely from the time your smoke alarm sounds. Are you prepared?

While vipHome.app wants to help you prevent a home fire from happening in the first place, you need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. That’s why we reached out to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA)! We spoke with Susan McKelvey, Communications Manager for NFPA, to learn the fire safety tips you need to know to best protect your family and home from a home fire.

Understanding the danger

“People tend to be overconfident when it comes to home fires,” says Susan, who has worked for the NFPA for more than eight years. “While the number of home fires has generally declined over the past 20 years or so, they can and do still happen.”

The vast majority of fires are preventable, but there’s much more work to do to reduce the risk of death and injury.

“Because of that overconfidence, people don’t always consider home fires something they should be concerned about, but in reality, it continues to be a risk,” says Susan.

While there is no way to completely eliminate the risk of a home fire, there are two basic but essential steps you can take to protect your household from fire.

“Make sure you have working smoke alarms everywhere you need them and create an escape plan,” says Susan, “so that when the smoke alarm sounds, you and your family can use that time as wisely and effectively as possible.”

Here’s how to do just that.

#1 – Install and maintain smoke detectors

“Most homes have at least one smoke alarm, but they’re not always maintained or working properly,” says Susan.

NFPA data shows that almost three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms (41%) or no working smoke alarms (16%). Many homes have smoke alarms that aren’t working properly, either because of dead or missing batteries. That’s why it’s imperative for homeowners to check their smoke alarms monthly to make sure they are working properly.

NFPA suggests completing these steps to install and maintain your smoke detectors:

• Install at least one alarm on every level of your home, near all sleeping areas, and inside each bedroom.
• Install interconnected smoke alarms, so when one sounds, they all sound.
• Use combination alarms, which detect smoldering and flaming fires.
• Test your smoke alarms once a month to make sure they are working properly.
• Change the batteries when the alarms indicate.
• Replace smoke alarms every 10 years or sooner if the chirping doesn’t stop when you change the batteries. (“Many homeowners don’t realize that smoke alarms are not designed to work forever,” says Susan.)

Not sure how old your smoke alarms are? Check the date of manufacture on the back of the alarm. Your alarm needs to be replaced 10 years from that date.

#2 – Get out, stay out

Explains Susan, “Today’s home fires burn faster than ever, and you have such a small window of time to escape safely in a typical home fire. You may have as little as two minutes to get out safely from the time the smoke alarms sound.”

Not sure how to make a fire escape plan?

Susan suggests completing these essential steps to create an effective escape plan for your household:

• Draw a grid of your home with all the rooms.
• Identify two exits from each room (typically a door or a window).
• Make sure exits are not blocked (by furniture or clutter) and are in working order.
• Determine a path from each room’s exits to the outside.
• Select a meeting place outside the home, generally in front, where everyone knows to gather.
• Practice the plan (and different escape scenarios) with your household regularly, at least twice a year.

That last step is crucial and should not be overlooked.

Practice promotes safety

“Practicing your plan creates muscle memory around what to do when the smoke alarm sounds,” says Susan. “As simple as it sounds, ensuring that everyone has actually practiced the steps they’d take in a fire situation can have a potentially life-saving impact. Everyone will be able to snap into action, know exactly what to do, and use the precious little time they have to get out quickly and safely.”

Equally important is practicing different scenarios, so your family will know how to escape a home fire if certain exits are blocked.

If possible, grab a cellphone on the way out or include going to a neighbor’s home as part of your plan, so you can call 911 as quickly as possible.

But NFPA stresses, “Get out, stay out.”

The next wave of fire safety – sprinklers

NFPA sees sprinklers as the next step in fire safety evolution as the home fire death rate has remained steady over the last few decades.

“What we’re seeing is that when people have fires in their homes, they’re still having trouble escaping safely,” says Susan. “Sprinklers dramatically reduce the likelihood of your risk to fire in terms of fatalities, but also injuries and property damage. They’re safer for firefighters, too.”

An arm of the NFPA is the “Fire Sprinkler Institute,” which works to require sprinklers in new home constructions. As for the homeowners who fear seeing sprinklers in their homes, Susan assures that’s not a problem.

“If you look at the way modern sprinklers are designed, it’s just like a little tap flush with your ceiling, so you really can’t see them. They’re very tastefully done.”

Awareness saves lives

The best life-saving measure when dealing with home fires is taking preventative steps and precautions.

Notes Susan, “In a real fire situation, it’s scary. It’s hot. There’s smoke. You need to be prepared in advance to ensure that everyone in your home knows how to protect themselves.”

That is why having a home fire escape plan and correct smoke alarm placement is so critically important.

“Having an awareness of the ways you can reduce your risk of home fire and protect yourself, your family members, and your home can really make such a tremendous difference.”

Prevent the preventable in your home

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This summer, Canadian wildfire smoke spread across the U.S. and engulfed more than a third of our country’s population. While this may have been an anomaly, wildfires are common in many parts of the United States with more than half of all U.S. properties at risk for wildfire damage. 

Michele Steinberg, Wildfire Division Director, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), recently stopped by the vipHome Podcast to share how wildfires ignite and spread, so you can protect your home and family! 

Wildfires occur naturally. 

While many wildfires start due to human activity, wildfires are reoccurring natural events that frequently happen in remote forested areas.

“Most of North America has what we call ‘fire adapted ecosystems,’” says Michele, who has been helping homeowners with the NFPA since 2002. “Those are places where, over millennia, the plant and animal species have adapted to fire.”

Wildfires in these areas have several benefits, where they act as “nature’s cleanup crew.” They clean up debris and remove old dry brush. Additionally, they add nutrients to the soil and bring extra benefits to the landscape. Unfortunately, wildfires are now catching attention because of the great devastation they’ve been causing to communities.  

“We are getting bigger wildfires,” says Michele, “and we’re certainly seeing more and more impacts on our built environment and on our communities.”

Why are we seeing such devastation with recent wildfires?

Though the number of wildfires hasn’t changed, there are three reasons why wildfires have made headlines and created record-breaking damage in the past few years.

#1 – Fire-adapted environments haven’t burned as they have needed.

Though fire is natural and needed in certain ecosystems, humans have entered these environments and at times, have helped to prevent ignition. 

“We have lots of land that hasn’t been restored to its health and its natural environment, partly because again, ironically we’ve been trying to keep fire from happening in these landscapes where it does need fire,” says Michele. 

This means the natural cleanup of the landscape hasn’t occurred in some places for more than a century. The natural landscape has accumulated brush and other debris, which has helped to create additional fuel for recent fires.

“When fire does start, you’re going to have a tendency to have a worse fire, a bigger fire, a hotter fire, and potentially a more disastrous one.”

#2 – Human construction has invaded fire-adapted environments.

In recent decades, society has expanded into fire-prone areas in the southern and western U.S. Unfortunately, necessary precautions have not been taken.

“Most of the time, we’re not designing our communities and our buildings in a way that would be compatible with the fact that there is wildfire on the landscape,” says Michele.

Also, some areas that do not have fire have also suffered greatly from human development, such as Hawaii. 

“Development over time is also doing things like disturbing the natural cycles of some of these plants and animals, introducing fire in places where it hasn’t been traditionally,” says Michele. 

Certain types of development have also been detrimental, such as the introduction of grasses that carry fire well. This has led to greater devastation.  

“One person in Hawaii described it to me as the locals have sat there with the fire hazard growing up around them, quite literally with these grasses and things that are happening on the landscape,” says Michele. 

#3 – A volatile environment has helped to fuel recent wildfires. 

More extreme weather events have also led to wildfires. In the last decade, warming ocean temperatures, hurricane-force winds, and droughts on land have helped fuel wildfires.  

“We can’t look back a hundred years to say this is how we should do things,” says Michele. “We have to look forward to say, “‘Now we need to expect more significant events, more drought, more heavy rain in the seasons, etc.’”

How to prevent human-caused wildfires 

According to a joint study by the University of Colorado and the University of Massachusetts, eight out of 10 wildfires are caused by humans, and these fires are responsible for nearly half of all area burned. Thankfully, many human-caused fires are preventable. 

How to prevent wildfires from open burning and intentional fires 

Wildfires can happen when small fires, such as opening burning and unattended campfires, burn out of control. To avoid starting wildfires, listen to state and local alerts and be aware of the laws.

“If you’re following your local emergency manager or fire service, they will note a red flag day, which is a day with those hot, dry, windy conditions,” says Michele. 

They’ll also let you know when there is a burn ban in effect, which is when a state fire marshal or your local county fire service may say conditions are too dangerous for open burning. 

(Opening burning occurs when homeowners burn items, like leaves or debris, in their yards. Not all states allow open burning, so make sure to know your laws and regulations!) 

How to prevent wildfires from equipment sparks 

One of the leading causes of wildfires is a spark from mechanical or electrical equipment when the weather conditions are right. 

“Our electrical power lines, for example, are the culprit of fires when we have those hot, dry, and windy conditions,” says Michele. 

A recent campaign in the Western U.S. called for “One Less Spark – One Less Wildfire” after research found many wildfires started by roadways in California, Oregon, and Washington. 

“This is maybe somebody dragging chains on a trailer or maybe somebody’s car is overheating,” says Michele. “They pull over to the side of the road, and that hot motor can ignite the dry grass underneath it.”

Similarly, grills, campfires, and fire pits can cause wildfires unintentionally, so it’s important to be cognizant during all fire use. Homeowners should also consider not mowing the lawn or using fireworks if there is a red flag warning. 

“Fireworks are a massive cause of fire every single year around the Fourth of July,” says Michele. “Any kind of use of something that could spark a fire is a bad idea.”

Simple wildfire home preparedness tips 

“Wildfire is going to happen at some point if you live in a place where wildfire is part of the landscape,” warns Michele. 

With more than half of all U.S. properties at risk for wildfire damage, you need to prepare, and here are a few simple steps that can help!

Check the first five feet around your home. 

The five-foot zone around the home is the most important area to address when making your home more resistant to potential ignition. 

“We’re talking about the perimeter right at your foundation and out,” says Michele. “That’s the place that you don’t want any material to be able to pile up and collect, like leaves or debris. You don’t want to have anything that can burn in that area.”

Make sure not to pile firewood or flammable construction/home improvement materials near your home. Also, consider landscaping choices that can help make the area safer, such as adding gravel or even bare earth. 

Check your home from the ground up. 

Stone or concrete foundations help prevent embers from getting inside your home, but some homeowners have siding that reaches the ground. For these situations, consider adding at least six inches of metal flashing or other fire-resistant material to prevent ignition. 

“Again, it’s a very small space,” says Michele, “but it creates that little barrier for embers piling up and starting to ignite anything that’s combustible on the siding.”

Also, check your home from the top down. 

Clear out any materials near your home that can ignite. Start at the roof and work your way down. Look for debris and any place embers can land. Secure these areas by screening any vents and boxing in open eaves. Clean gutters and downspouts, and clear dead, dry materials off porches, decks, stairs, and away from the foundation.

Make it a group project! 

The conditions in the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ), or the area up to 200 feet from a home’s foundation, can help to minimize (or exacerbate) the likelihood of ember attacks. That’s why it’s important to work with your neighbors, who may be in your HIZ.  

“We may not have control over a hundred feet away from our home, “says Michele, “so the more we can get our neighbors adjacent to us to do the work – to do the cleanups and be aware of the danger – the better off the whole community is going to be.”

Prevent the preventable in your home

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Cooking is the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries, and the second leading cause of home fire deaths.

Since most cooking fires happen in the kitchen, we reached out to Andrea Vastis, Senior Director of Public Education at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Andrea shared with us an abundance of simple kitchen safety tips (at least 21!) that can help prevent a home fire from happening in your cooking space.

Simple kitchen safety tips to prevent a cooking fire

“The number one cause of cooking fires is unattended cooking,” says Andrea. “It’s usually a scenario where someone will say afterward, I left something going on the stove and forgot about it I left the water overflowing and boiling, I left my pan for just a minute.”

To prevent a cooking fire, Andrea suggests following these simple tips:

• Staying in the kitchen while you are cooking.
• Staying alert while cooking and not being distracted in any way.
• Keeping children and pets at least three feet away from the cooking area.
• Double-check your timer to make sure you set it for the right time.

“Did you do three minutes or 30 minutes or 30 seconds?” asked Andrea.

Simple kitchen safety tips to prevent cooking appliance fires

Before ever buying a cooking appliance, check to see that it was listed by an independent testing laboratory.

“You want to make sure that what you are using a product that has been tested to approved safety standards,” says Andrea.

Then, you want to use it safely. This means you should:

• Plug the appliance into a wall properly and never use an extension cord.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Place your product on an appropriate surface.

“Most products are safe for most countertops,” says Andrea, “but you need to think – if I have a laminate countertop, should I be using a granite base or a marble base, something that doesn’t conduct heat and doesn’t have the risk of melting?”

Also, replace appliances that become hazards with frayed wires or irregularity in performance. Of course, big appliances should be left to the professionals.

“If it’s an appliance like your range top or your oven, get it serviced by a qualified professional who can either repair it or help determine if it’s time for a new one,” says Andrea.

Use your appliance properly

If you fail to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, you can create a dangerous situation in your kitchen. This is especially important with cooking temperatures.

Explains Andrea, “If you have a slow cooker and the recipe calls for it to be on low and you’re putting it on high, you’re risking burning the food. You’re also creating the potential for something that can happen, including contact burns.”

Electric range tops manufactured after 2015 are required to have temperature-limiting controls.

“If you have an old coil stove top that was manufactured before then, you can actually retrofit it with a burner that is temperature limiting,” says Andrea.

That is important because “the majority of [cooking fires] are on the range top, and the majority of those are actually on electric range tops,” says Andrea.

Keep your appliances clean

Kitchen appliances – whether they be cooktops, microwaves, crockpots, etc., – all require proper cleaning.

“Leftover food – grease, oil, any kind of spills – can heat up and catch fire,” says Andrea.

Leftover oils, butters, food remnants, etc., can create dangerous situations, especially during the holidays or big family dinners.

“This is why we also talk about the times of the year where there are the most cooking fires – like Thanksgiving,” says Andrea. “You have all these dishes going in the oven. Maybe you didn’t clean the oven beforehand, and there’s all this leftover stuff that’s now overheating and is just very easily ignitable.”

When cleaning any appliances, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If you didn’t keep your appliance’s manual, like most homeowners, there’s one easy solution.

“If you know what make and model it is, you can just very easily find [the manuals] online,” says Andrea.

Simple kitchen safety tips to prevent home fire injuries

One of the easiest ways to prevent cooking home fire injuries is to wear appropriate clothing.

“It’s important that when you are doing the cooking, you’re not wearing any loose clothing,” says Andrea. “You’re either wearing short sleeves or tight sleeves. You’re not wearing anything that’s billowy that can come in contact with the range and catch fire.”

You should also use tools designed to keep you safe, such as oven mitts. Also, avoid creating dangerous situations by placing an appendage or your face where it doesn’t belong.

“We have this weird tendency to always want to stick our face into things, right?” says Andrea.

Home chefs should be careful as heat from an oven or heat from steam can burn. Even just opening a bag of hot popcorn can cause injury.

“The number one burn injury for children, especially under the age of five, are scalds and burns from things like hot foods and liquids,” says Andrea. “That’s why we really stress the three-foot zone – no kid, no pet. Also, no coffee in one hand, kid in another. Just take your time.”

What if the worst-case scenario happens – a fire in your kitchen

Andrea runs down easy-to-remember steps to help you remain calm and stay safe in the kitchen if a fire happens.

If an article of clothing catches fire

Smother it quickly. Perform the stop, drop and roll technique by stopping where you are, covering your face with your hands and rolling back and forth or over and over until the flames are out.

“Stop, drop, and roll really can make a tremendous difference in reducing the risk of burns,” says Andrea. “It’s about smothering the flames.”

For older home chefs who may not be able to stop, drop, and roll, try smothering the fire with a blanket.

“It’s all about getting rid of any oxygen for that fire to be able to take hold and get to you to burn.”

If your pan catches fire

“Grease and frying pan fires make up a large portion of the home cooking fire problem,” says Andrea.

To prevent a grease pan fire, NFPA suggests remembering and practicing these catchy phrases – stand by your pan; keep an eye on what you fry.

“Always stay with what your frying, poaching, and braising,” says Andrea.

It’s also a great idea to have a heavy lid or a cookie sheet nearby.

“Having a lid nearby can help quickly and effectively put out a grease pan fire,” says Andrea. “Carefully slide the lid over the pan, turn off the heat, step away and just let it cool down completely.”

Andrea notes that if the fire, at any point, starts to get bigger where you can’t safely slide a cover over it to extinguish the flames or the flames continue to grow, immediately get yourself and anyone else at home outside and call the fire department for assistance.

If your oven catches fire

Shut the door, turn off the oven, and call the fire department.

With a microwave oven – shut the door, turn it off, and unplug it. If any sign of fire remains, call the fire department.

When in doubt, get takeout

One of the most important kitchen safety rules is knowing when not to cook. There are times when you should play it safe and order takeout.

“It doesn’t even matter if you’re using the microwave or other small appliance,” says Andrea. “If you’re using medication that makes you sleepy, if you’ve had a few drinks, that’s not the time to be cooking or using electrical equipment. Just get takeout.”

Learn more cooking safety tips at nfpa.org/cooking, and help children learn cooking safety at sparky.org.

Prevent the preventable in your home

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Pete and his family say the pictures of their destroyed Illinois home don’t do the damage justice. At one a.m., on a night like any other one, the non-manufacturer’s battery on their stick vacuum overheated and exploded in their laundry room.

“The fire was violent and reached over 500 degrees, enough to melt the blades of a ceiling fan,” Pete explains. “We’ve always kept our vacuum plugged in…doesn’t everyone?”

Unfortunately, 80% of the house needs to be stripped to the studs, and Pete’s family will be out of the house until, most likely, early 2024.

Lithium-ion batteries have been known to cause destructive fires, just like Pete’s. Though the chances of a lithium-ion battery failing and catching fire is one in 10 million batteries, they caused 200 fires and six deaths in New York City last year alone. 

That’s why we reached out to Brian O’Connor, technical services engineer at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Brian shared with us important safety tips to help you and your family safely use devices powered with lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium batteries vs. lithium-ion batteries

There are two types of lithium batteries, but only one of them is known to be extremely combustible.

“Lithium batteries are lithium metal one-time-use batteries,” says Brian. “Lithium-ion batteries are the rechargeable batteries that we’re seeing infiltrate everywhere.”

A lithium-ion battery (or li-on battery) uses lithium salt, which is a highly reactive metal.

“The thing that makes them dangerous is the same thing that makes them useful,” says Brian. “They have a lot of energy in a small envelope.”

You’ll find lithium-ion batteries in your cell phones, watches, laptops, electric vehicles, even your power drill and other tools. When energy is released from a lithium-ion battery, it can generate toxic and flammable gases and heat, which can lead to an explosion.

“If you’re using them correctly, if you’re using properly-listed batteries, [the threat] is pretty low,” says Brian.

Why are lithium-ion battery fires so dangerous?

The differentiating factor between lithium-ion battery fires and other home fires is its fast rate of spreading.

A lithium-ion rechargeable batteries heats up when it starts to fail and pressurizes with flammable gas. As soon as that flammable gas is released, it creates a dangerous and potentially deadly situation. 

“Think of a lighter that breaks in half,” says Brian. “It creates a very quick gas fire, so it’s able to spread to adjacent cells. It can also eject those cells into other parts of the room, so it can become a multiple-point fire.”

Since these fires spread so fast, homeowners don’t have a lot of time to react, which can lead to injury or even death.

How to prevent lithium-ion battery fires in your home

Using lithium-ion batteries safely includes the storage, charging, and buying of devices with these batteries.

How to charge a lithium-ion battery safely 

You can lower your risk of a fire by following five simple steps for lithium-ion battery charging:

1. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Use the charger that came with the product or make sure the charger and battery are compatible. (“Different batteries need different charging rates,” says Brian.)
3. Avoid charging lithium-ion batteries all the time.
4. Avoid charging lithium-ion batteries overnight. (This includes your cell phone.)
5. Unplug lithium-ion batteries once they are fully charged.

“There’s no reason to leave something charging all the time,” says Brian. “It opens you up to a higher probability of something bad happening.”

“The manufacturer recommends that even with their batteries, you charge them for 3 1/2 hours and then unplug them,” says Pete, recalling his home fire. “Only charge them when you are home and paying attention. It’s not only just product. It’s every single lithium battery that you have in your home.”

How to store your lithium-ion battery safely

Where and how you store your devices with lithium-ion batteries is equally important. The NFPA suggests the following protocol for lithium-ion battery storage:

1. Avoid storing devices with lithium-ion batteries in precarious positions, such as on the stairs where they can fall, be punctured, crushed, etc.
2. Avoid storing your devices in your bedroom or next to a door or room exit.
3. Be mindful of extreme heat and extreme cold temperatures.

Always check the manufacturer’s instructions, but lithium-ion batteries generally cannot withstand temperatures below freezing or above 120°F.

“If you’re living out in Arizona and your garage is unconditioned, it’s going to get pretty hot in there,” says Brian. “That’s when it really increases the risk of a fire.”

Additional tips to prevent a lithium-ion battery fire

When buying a device, batteries, or charging equipment, make sure they’re listed by a nationally recognized testing lab and labeled accordingly.

“[These labs] go through a lot of testing to make sure [lithium-ion batteries] can survive impacts and different temperature ranges,” says Brian.

Also, buy replacement parts, batteries, and chargers from the manufacturer when possible.

Pete’s home fire stemmed from a replacement battery.

“The lithium battery was not from the manufacturer, but a third-party replacement battery that we bought on Amazon that I think you can still buy today,” says Pete. 

Also, as mentioned earlier, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

“The manufacturers of these batteries know what they’re talking about,” says Brian. “They want the product to do well, so make sure that you’re using the charger and you’re charging within the temperature limits.”

How to properly dispose of lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries should not be disposed of in the trash. Instead, check with your local big box stores for disposal options for small devices, such as a cell phone or tablet.

Many big box stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s often accept tools powered by lithium-ion batteries, Brian notes.

Your local department of waste management (DPW) may also provide lithium-ion battery recycling. Many offer an annual household hazardous waste day, when you bring these devices for disposal, even if they have caught fire. If your DPW doesn’t accept these devices, contact your local fire department for more options.

Warning signs that your lithium-ion battery may be critical

There are a few warning signs that may indicate your device’s lithium-ion battery may catch fire. First, you may notice a very strong, toxic odor. Second, the device or battery may start to inflate. 

“The electrolyte turns into a gas,” says Brian, “and just like when you boil water, the gas takes up more volume than the solid. It’s going to puff out a bit.”

Many times lithium-ion battery systems are encased in a plastic or metal container. With layers of protection between you and the battery, you may not be able to see them puff up, but you may be able to hear or smell them.

Next signs include seeing or smelling smoke and hearing loud, popping noises.

“If you start smelling or hearing them, evacuate first, then call the fire department for assistance,” says Brian.

Also, never touch the device.

“It’s really hard to tell when that pressurized vessel’s going to burst,” says Brian, who equates a lithium-ion battery explosion to a blow torch. “You don’t want that in your hand or pocket or anywhere near you when that happens.”

Thankfully, Pete and his family weren’t home when their vacuum caught fire, but they lost so many of their personal belongings.

“This is no joke,” says Pete. “You may have read articles about this happening, but it can happen to you. We certainly didn’t think it would happen to us.”

Ultimately, we need to change the way we approach and use lithium-ion batteries.

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How do you spend your holidays? If you said “hosting family,” then you’ll need to get your home ready for your holly-est and jolliest family and friends.

Here at vipHomeLink, we want your holidays to be merry and bright. That’s why we put together a holiday hosting essentials guide to help you and your family stay safe this holiday season!

Check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Thanksgiving and Christmas are the peak days when firefighters respond to home fires, and one of the leading culprits is cooking. Before you roast chestnuts over an open fire, check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. (Anna Farris wishes she did on a previous Thanksgiving.)

If you have a security system, arm it every time you leave the home, even if you’re just going out to see neighborhood holiday lights. Potential burglars are frequent unwanted guests during the holiday season, so take all the necessary safety precautions!

Serve up cooking safety – fire edition 

While you might be tempted to get into the eggnog early when hosting guests for the holidays, hold off drinking any alcoholic beverages. Before you start, clean and declutter the area, especially of flammable items, and never leave your simmering or boiling pots unattended.

If you have a fire extinguisher, make sure that you have the appropriate type and know how to use it. If any of your appliances have been acting up, call a qualified technician to investigate.

Serve up cooking safety – food edition

One of the most important tips for hosting the holidays at home is to wash your hands before handling food and after handling raw meat. Use a food thermometer to ensure your dishes reach safe temperatures, and clean and sanitize utensils to prevent cross contamination. If you’re fortunate to have leftovers, follow expert safety advice, such as putting food away within two hours (one hour in areas of extreme heat).

Be bright but be safe

We all love our candles, trees, garland, and figurines, but they can be dangerous. Keep decorations away from heat sources, such as fireplaces, portable heaters, and radiators. Also, keep all your exits – doorways and windows – clear, just in case you and your loved ones need to make a quick getaway. 

Baby, it could get cold and icy outside

While a “White Christmas” may be a reality for some homeowners in colder locales, winter storms can manifest in different ways – snowstorms, ice storms, hailstorms, and even harsh rainstorms. Make sure you’re ready for a potential power outage with the family, including blankets, bottles of water, games, and batteries (for flashlights and other equipment).

If you’re in an area prone to snowstorms, get your ice melt, shovels, and other equipment in order.

Watch out for the little ones

If you’re not used to hosting younger guests for the holidays, do a safety check. Keep poinsettia and mistletoe out of reach, or even skip those decorations. Consider using LED candles instead of real ones, and handle light strings and old ornaments, which may have lead in them, with care.

Small bows can be choking hazards for pets and young children alike, so avoid placing them on low branches or on presents. Also, ensure your pets wear their ID tags, just in case an unknowing guest lets them out.

Know your local laws

More friends and family in your home generally means more cars in your driveway. Do you have enough parking? Depending on your municipality, you may need to pay extra for an on-road overnight parking permit during the winter or seek other solutions. If you live in an area with mass transit, you may have a parking garage that offers parking spots, or a traveling neighbor may even welcome cars in their driveway (if you ask). One of the best deterrents against burglary can be a car in the driveway.

Call your insurance agent

Anytime you’re having house guests over for a prolonged stay, you should give your insurance agent a call. Review your current policy and see if you need additional coverage. You should also make it a new year’s resolution to spend time with your insurance agent. Your agent can update your policy with any new gifts, especially expensive ones, and help keep you protected in case of a home insurance claim. 

Take pandemic precautions

Discuss safety precautions for you and your guests. Depending on your locale, you may want to opt for an outdoor dinner. If you’re in the colder regions of the country, then you may choose to use exhaust fans (to pull air out of the room and not circulate it) and consider investing in portable air cleaners and heaters. 

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Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and injuries in the United States. Fire departments respond to an average of 158,400 cooking fires annually, and unsurprisingly, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day are the peak days fire departments get called to home fires.

“On Thanksgiving Day, you’re cooking probably more than you normally do,” says Andrea Vastis, Senior Director of Public Education for the National Fire Protection Association. “You have more going on around you. Sometimes more eyes mean fewer eyes on the cooking.”

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Wildfires continue to threaten many U.S. communities. At the very end of 2021, more than 1,000 homes were destroyed in Boulder County, Colorado, totaling more than $1 billion in damage. In just the first few months of 2022, there have been wildfires in 13 other states, including places you may not associate with wildfires.

While you can lower your home’s risk of wildfire damage, wildfires are a community risk. What one homeowner does or doesn’t do can affect the entire neighborhood.

That’s why we reached out to Michele Steinberg, wildfire division director for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Michele recently stopped by the vipHome Podcast to share tips on how to reduce wildfire risks in your community.

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Stay on top of home maintenance

Homeownership can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be. The vipHome.app can help. In less than four minutes, enjoy a new way to manage your home. Simply download the app, register your home, and enjoy a simplified homeownership experience.

Download the app today!

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Nothing warms you up on a cold winter’s night quite like a fireplace. Though gas fireplaces have become safer in the last 20 years with shut-off devices and oxygen depletion sensors, homeowners still need to practice safety procedures, but when they should be worried?

We spoke with Paul Pirro from PSE&G’s Appliance Service to learn the signs that indicate a leak in your gas fireplace and the absolute don’ts to help keep your home and everything in it safe.

Gas fireplace leak symptoms you should not ignore

 

• The fireplace does not light.
• Your home methane detectors sound.
• Your carbon monoxide detectors sound.
• A stench of “rotten eggs” or a “gas odor” permeates the home.
• You can hear a hissing sound near your fireplace.

Gas fireplaces use very little natural gas compared to other gas appliances, so you can have an issue without the presence of one of the gas fireplace leak symptoms, such as that rotten eggs or sulfur odor. Your home methane detector is your best friend in this situation. Listen to it and get out of the house. When in doubt, call 911 or your local utility company’s emergency line, and always do so after leaving the house.

It should be noted that it is normal for a gas fireplace to smell a bit when it’s first turned on in a while, but it should dissipate after a few minutes. If you at all worry, get out of the house. Also, if you smell gas when your fireplace isn’t on, get out. When in doubt, always get out.

Carbon monoxide gas also a dangerous gas, and it’s odorless and colorless. Some people don’t realize that they’re suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning until they become very ill. Physical symptoms, such as respiratory problems, may occur immediately or gradually. Carbon monoxide detectors can alert occupants of the presence of deadly carbon monoxide levels that can be present without anyone knowing. When a gas fireplace is being used, carbon monoxide detectors can sense a potential carbon monoxide condition that can be created when fuel burning equipment malfunctions.

What do you do if you suspect a gas leak in your home?

• Immediately exit the building and move at least 350 feet away.
• Call 911 or call your gas company (such as PSE&G).

Both are available 24/7/365 and will come to your home. PSE&G will arrive within 60 minutes of the call, often sooner.

Absolute don’ts when it comes to a gas leak

We’re not exaggerating. Protect life and limb by adhering to these important tips:

• Don’t use electronic devices inside. That includes your cell phone. Only call 911 or your service company after you’ve moved away from the danger area.
• Don’t turn the lights on or off, doorbells, or appliances. Sparks can create combustion or an explosion.
• Don’t start cars.
• Don’t light a match, smoke, or vape.
• Don’t try to find the source of the odor.

Get out, assess the situation, and call the appropriate authorities.

These important do’s and don’ts also apply to detect a gas leak in your home, including gas burning appliances including hot water heaters, ovens, and dryers.

Learn more about your home

Homeownership can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be. The vipHome.app can help. In less than four minutes, enjoy a new way to manage your home. Simply download the app, register your home, and enjoy a simplified homeownership experience.

Get it today!

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