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CANDLE SafetyTips

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Departments / Fire / Prevention / Candle Safety Tips

Candle Safety Tips
Candles can be beautiful and romantic. Unfortunately, they can also be deadly. Here are a safety few tips to keep you and your family from being a fire statistic.

General Candle Safety
- Remember: A candle is an open flame. It can easily ignite any combustibles nearby!
- Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep.
- Keep candles away from items that can catch fire (e.g. clothing, books, paper, curtains, Christmas trees, flammable decorations).
- Use candleholders that are sturdy, will not tip over easily, are made from a material that cannot burn and are large enough to collect dripping wax.
- Do not place lit candles in windows, where blinds and curtains can close over them.
- Place candleholders on a sturdy, uncluttered surface and do not use candles in places where they could be knocked over by children or pets.
- When purchasing or using candles, consider what would happen if the candle burned low. Could it burn the candleholder or decorative material nearby? Extinguish candles when they get within two inches of the holder or decorative material.
- Keep candles and all open flames away from flammable liquids.
- Keep candlewicks trimmed to one-quarter inch and extinguish taper and pillar candles when they get to within two inches of the holder or decorative material. Votives and containers should be extinguished before the last half-inch of wax starts to melt.
- Avoid candles with combustible items embedded in them. Try to avoid carrying a lit candle. Do not use a lit candle when searching for items in a confined space.
- Never use a candle for a light when checking pilot lights or fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern. The flame may ignite the fumes

Holidays and Candles
- December is the peak month for candle fires, with nearly twice the average number of incidents.
- Never use real candles to decorate a Christmas tree. Open flames from candles often lead to fire.
- Follow all the general safety tips listed above.

Kids and Candles
- Use candles only with constant adult supervision.
- Keep candles up high out of reach of children.
- Never leave a child unattended in a room with a candle. A child should not sleep in a room with a lit candle.
- Do not allow children or teens to have candles in their bedrooms.
- Store candles, matches and lighters up high and out children's sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.
- Do not put candles in a location where children or pets could knock them over.

General Fire Safety Tips
- Keep children away from open flames and electrical receptacles.
- Make sure your smoke alarm is maintained and working properly.
- Have a smoke alarm in every level of your house.
- Keep your emergency numbers near the telephone.
- Always call the fire department for any fire, even if the fire has been completely extinguished.
- Have a fire evacuation plan and practice it with your family!

Power Outages
- Observe all the general fire safety tips
- Try to avoid carrying a lit candle. When you carry a lit candle, you are carrying something that could start a fire. Do not use a candle to go into the closet to look for things; it could easily catch items on fire.
- Never use a candle for light when fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern. The flame may ignite the fumes.
- Extinguish all candles when leaving the house or when going to sleep.
- Flashlights and other lights generated by batteries are much safer light sources than candles. Consider using flashlights instead of candles.
- Using these simple rules coupled with common sense may help keep your family safe throughout the year.