Winter Holiday Safety Reminders

To keep you and your family safe this holiday season as you decorate with festive lights, shop online for gifts and cook traditional meals, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) provides Hoosiers with the following safety tips.

Cooking

• Stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food;
• Turn the stove off if you leave the kitchen, even for a short period of time;
• Use a timer to remind yourself to check on food;
• Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby; and
• Never use water to extinguish a grease fire.

Shopping Online

During the holiday season, email advertising and spam traffic may increase. Therefore, never open email attachments or click on embedded links from unknown senders. Also, when making an online purchase, it important to ensure your Internet connection is secure and check for indicators that the website you are visiting has security software in place.

Decorating

• Place artificial and real trees at least three feet away from any heat source;
• Never use lit candles to decorate the tree;
• Always turn off holiday tree lights when leaving home or going to bed; and
• Replace older styles of lights with newer string lights that are less likely to ignite.

Other decorating hazards include traditional holiday plants such as poinsettias, which are poisonous to pets. Also, fragile and sharp decorations can injure children when broken. Therefore, if your family chooses to use these decorations, place them in out-of-reach locations.

For more holiday safety suggestions offered by the IDHS, click here.