The holiday season tends to spark joy, both literally and figuratively. Public Information Officer Kelley McKethan from the Bryan Police Department and Public Information Officer Carter Hall from the College Station Fire Department have some tips for how you can keep your home, belongings, and loved ones safe wherever you spend your holidays.
HOME SAFETY Burglaries and Break-Ins Burglaries have declined dramatically in Bryan in the past 10 years, says McKethan, but they are still a problem during the holiday season when many people travel out of town. The best prevention is making sure it looks like your house is still occupied. Whether that’s with automatic light timers, suspending the daily paper, or getting a neighbor to move your trash cans on trash days, anything you can do to make yourself appear to be at home will be a deterrent to would-be burglars. Keep your blinds in normal positions, and don’t hide a key anywhere on the outside of the house. While it may be tempting, do not advertise where you are going for vacation on social media. Wait to post all your pictures until you return home.
If you are staying home for the holidays, still be on the lookout for your safety: double check the locks before going to bed, report suspicious activity to law enforcement, and don’t leave empty boxes from high-dollar presents on the curb for all to see. McKethan recommends recording the serial number of electronics in a secure place, so if it is ever stolen, it can be more easily tracked down, and police can be 100 percent sure it is yours.
Package Theft Although it is not as common of a problem as you may think, porch thefts are occurring more than they have in the past, says McKethan. You can decrease the chances of your package being stolen from your porch by tracking your package and planning to be home when it arrives or by asking a neighbor to collect it for you. If no one can receive the package, you can also request it be placed in a less visible area than the middle of your front porch. A growing trend is utilizing a doorbell or porch camera. While this won’t prevent your package from being stolen, a high-quality camera can help police catch the thief more easily. If you do have a package stolen, make sure you have receipts of both your purchase and delivery before contacting police.
FIRE SAFETY Candles Although many people like to leave them burning as a part of their holiday decorations, more than half of home decoration fires in December are started by candles, says Hall. Keep them 12 inches away from anything else while they are burning, and never leave a candle unattended. Do not leave them on for a long time, and do not put them near flammable items. Always keep matches and lighters away from kids.
Christmas Lights Check your Christmas lights to make sure all bulbs are working correctly and there are no frayed wires. Hall says LED lights are ideal because they do not rely on filaments, which produce quite a bit of heat, to produce their light. Don't plug too many lights into the same outlet to avoid overloading circuits, and use a good surge protector. For outdoor decorations, make sure you use outdoor-specific lights since they are water- and weather-proofed. Keep the plugs covered to prevent electric shock.
Christmas Trees Although both real and fake Christmas trees pose a fire risk, live Christmas trees are more dangerous if not properly maintained. While at the Christmas tree farm, check to make sure the tree you are going to get is not already dried out by shaking it and seeing if a bunch of dry needles fall out. Once you have selected a fresh tree, make sure to keep it moist by watering it. Even with watering, trees will only have a lifespan of about two to three weeks. Take it down right after Christmas to avoid an increased fire risk from a dry tree. The most important tip, whether the tree is live or fake, is to make sure it is placed at least three feet away from a heat source. One in every four Christmas tree fires is caused by a heat source too close to the tree, according to Hall. Also make sure the tree is not blocking an exit so everyone can escape easily in the case of a fire.
Cooking Fires Throughout the year, cooking fires are one of the most common causes of fires, but the number increases around the holiday season when more people are cooking, explains Hall. It is a good idea to keep your fire extinguisher within easy reach in the kitchen but not right by the oven. That way, if a fire breaks out in the oven or on the stove, you can get to the fire extinguisher without burning yourself. If the fire is a grease fire, do not throw water on it. Either try to cover it with another pan or, ideally, use a fire extinguisher. Keep kids away from hot oils and the kitchen in general. Hot pans, knives, and boiling water can all injure kids, plus kids and their toys can be tripping hazards for cooks.
If you decide to fry a turkey, make sure it is completely defrosted when you put it in and that kids are nowhere nearby. Hall recommends always frying a turkey outdoors, far away from anything flammable and the house.
Even if you successfully put out a fire in your house, Hall recommends you still call the fire department so they can come check it out, make sure the fire did not spread, and help with clean up. Both the fire and police departments are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
