At Landmark, we do a lot of restoration contracting after fires – rebuilding rooms, or even entire homes, after the devastation occurs. It’s the one area of our business that I’d actually prefer to see decrease. So many fires would have been easily preventable!

With the holidays upon us, there are actually even more fire safety hazards right in our living rooms. If you have a Christmas tree, one of the best things you can do is keep it watered. A well-hydrated evergreen is harder to burn, and burns more slowly, than a dried-out tree. In fact, the National Fire Prevention Association shows us just how quickly that dried out bundle of branches can turn into an inferno – check out this video.

So maybe you’re thinking that was an obvious tip – well here’s one I didn’t know about until recently. I try and remember to test my smoke alarms every year and change the batteries. Nothing is more important than making sure your family gets out of the home quickly in case there is a fire. We need to make sure those alarms are going to blare! But what I didn’t realize is that the 9 volt batteries that power those smoke detectors can be a hazard themselves. Left out of their packaging in a drawer, 9 volt batteries that come into contact with metal can start a fire. Check out this news report.

All of us at Landmark Associates wish you a very Happy, AND SAFE, Holiday!

For more fire safety tips, please check out the American Red Cross web site.