download red cross free carbon monoxide detectors

Fill the tree stand with water every day.A fresh cut allows the tree to absorb the water. Cut 1 to 2 inches off the bottom of the trunk before placing the tree in the stand.Needles should be green and springy to the touch. If you get a live tree, make sure it’s fresh.They’re less flammable than live trees and don’t require watering. Consider an artificial tree this season.The following are additional Christmas tree safety tips that fire personnel should share with homeowners in their communities:

The key messages: Home fire sprinklers increase safety and provide time for escape, and all homeowners should think about installing a fire sprinkler system. It is important that fire departments play an active role in educating their communities about proper Christmas tree safety to reduce the number of fires to which they must respond, thereby keeping their citizens-and themselves-out of harm’s way. And while Christmas trees are meant to elicit joy and merriment, they can also spark dangerous and deadly home fires.

This holiday season, many homes will display festive Christmas trees. To request a free smoke detector and home fire safety survey, please call the local Red Cross office at (915) 592-0208. Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning - a home fire escape plan that everyone in your family is familiar with and has practiced. You will be able to see from the video you have as little as two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds.

This video demonstrates the growth of fire in two similar rooms-one with modern furnishings, the other with “legacy” furnishings from 20 or 30 years ago. Modern construction techniques and furnishings have greatly reduced the amount of time you have to escape from a fire. In fact, having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half! If there is a fire in your home, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out. Firefighters will come to your home, conduct a quick fire safety survey and install the detector in an appropriate area of your home. The West Valley Fire Department, in partnership with the American Red Cross, is offering a free smoke detector for every household in our response district.

Download red cross free carbon monoxide detectors