Bells Down Christmas Safety Tips.

 

Festive First Aid Prevention.

As yet another Christmas nears it is a time for fun, festivities and family it isn't probably at the front of our minds to consider what we would do in the event of an emergency during the chaos that is Christmas. The season is littered with hazardous moments which all hide in plain sight behind the veil of tinsel and jolly spirit.

Take a look down our list of events which you could find yourself wishing you knew exactly what to do and how to help.

 

The Christmas Tree.

Nothing signifies the start of Christmas like the setting up of the Christmas tree. If you opt for the artificial tree this usually means the obligatory trip into the loft to first find and then retrieve the tree. This goes without saying, take care when working in the loft space. You are usually only a few inches from plunging through the ceiling into a bedroom.

Decorating the tree is now the necessary evil which, if you're anything like me, you get fed up with quickly. This often involves stretching or standing on objects to reach the top of the tree, If you are advanced in age consider asking more able members of your family or friendship groups to assist with this.

Lighting the tree if it isn't inbuilt with LED's is another event which can cause injury. The most serious of which is electrocution and/or the arising of fire through damaged or faulty lighting. Rigorously inspect the lights you intend to use for wear and tear, exposed wiring, possibly animal nibbling. If you think you have had the lights longer than 10 years it is probably worth investing in new ones. Lastly, ensure you are using LED lights, not only are they cheaper to run they don't get as hot as older style lighting.

 

External Lighting.

External lights look great and really help to unify a community or street with festive cheer. But not taking real care when doing this can lead to serious injury or worse.

This is an example where I talk from first-hand experience. Christmas 2024 I had a day off work and had the house to myself. Not being able to sit still I decided against my better judgement to put up the exterior Christmas lights.

No sooner had I climbed the ladder to the guttering height, around 4m up the feet of the ladders slipped out and I rode the ladders as they slid down the front wall of my house, before hitting the roof of the bay window which had 2 effects. The first being I slammed my face into the ladders as they abruptly stopped, the second was being thrown from the ladders and landing on the front wall.

That impact shattered my elbow and fractured my shoulder blade. So please be careful, I know so much better than that but was complacent enough to disregard any training or better judgement, that is when accidents will happen.

 

Candles.

Fires and injuries caused by candles spike around the festive period with the most common cause attributed to leaving a candle unattended. A candle not left on a sturdy; non-flammable surface should always be kept well away from decorations. Equally, introducing Christmas decorations close to the area you typically safely use candles is a no-no.

If you think about it, the Christmas period is full of fire hazards including candles, open fires, electrical decorations and lights of all descriptions, cardboard boxes, gift wrap, artificial or real trees (which often are placed in the corner of a room – not good!), Christmas cards. It is easy to see how things go from bad to worse at this time of year when a simple candle gets knocked over.

Some simple preventative measures are as follows –

  • Check your smoke alarm works.
  • Close your internal doors at bedtime, this will protect your escape route in the event of a fire.
  • Battery powered LED candles are cheap, safe and just as effective.
  • Children and pets should be kept away from any exposure to them.
  • Avoid draughty areas where flames or flammable material can be introduced to each other.