Here are some quick tips to help you and your family stay safe during the holiday season.<\/p>\n

Holiday decorating<\/b><\/h5>\n

\n
• Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant<\/span><\/li>\n
• Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both<\/span><\/li>\n
• Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose<\/span>
  \n<\/span>bulb connections<\/span><\/li>\n
• Read manufacturer\u2019s instructions for recommended number of light strands that may be connected<\/span><\/li>\n
• Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged<\/span><\/li>\n
• Make sure your tree is at least three feet away from a heat source such as fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles or vents<\/span><\/li>\n
• Make sure your tree does not block any exits from your home<\/span><\/li>\n
• Keep lit candles at least 12 inches away from anything flammable<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  <\/h5>\n

  Holiday safety indoors<\/b><\/h5>\n

  \n
  • Test your smoke alarms and review your home fire escape plan<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Keep children and pets away from lit candles<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Keep matches and lighters up high and away from small children<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Stay in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Keep a fire extinguisher handy <\/span>in<\/span> your kitchen<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Never use water to put out a cooking fire. Instead, cover your pot and use a kitchen fire extinguisher or baking soda<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Use a timer to remind you that the oven or stove is on<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Ask smokers to smoke outside and to keep their smoking materials with them so young children do not touch them<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Provide large, deep ashtrays for smokers. Wet cigarette butts with water before discarding<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Always sleep with your bedroom door closed. This simple fact can buy you and your family time to escape a house fire<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    More helpful information may be found at National Fire Protection Association<\/a> and at Contra Costa County Fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Winter holidays are a fun time in our communities, but may also pose risks for home fires. Following a few simple tips will ensure a happy and fire-safe holiday season. <\/p>\n

    Read more ›<\/a><\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,220],"tags":[29,49,57],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/holiday-pix-scaled-e1638655461225.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2941"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2941"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2949,"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2941\/revisions\/2949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinezcert.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}