It's time for Christmas Lights!

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is right around the corner which means it's time to dust off the Christmas decorations and prepare your house for the holidays.  We want to give you some tips to make sure your home is safe during the holiday season. House fires increase significantly during this time of year due to indoor lights, alternative heat sources and an increase in cooking.

This great article from the U.S Fire Administration.

Preventing Christmas Tree Fires

• Christmas Tree Fire Hazards - Movie segments demonstrating how fast a live Christmas tree can become fully engulfed in flames. Special fire safety precautions need to be taken when keeping a live tree in the house. A burning tree can rapidly fill a room with fire and deadly gases.
• Selecting a Tree for the Holiday
  Needles on fresh trees should be green and hard to pull back from the branches, and the needle should not break if the tree has been freshly cut. The trunk should be sticky to the touch. Old trees can be identified by bouncing the tree trunk on the ground. If many needles fall off, the tree has been cut too long, has probably dried out, and is a fire hazard.
• Caring for Your Tree
  Do not place your tree close to a heat source, including a fireplace or heat vent. The heat will dry out the tree, causing it to be more easily ignited by heat, flame or sparks. Be careful not to drop or flick cigarette ashes near a tree. Do not put your live tree up too early or leave it up for longer than two weeks. Keep the tree stand filled with water at all times.
• Disposing of Your Tree
  Never put tree branches or needles in a fireplace or woodburning stove. When the tree becomes dry, discard it promptly. The best way to dispose of your tree is by taking it to a recycling center or having it hauled away by a community pick-up service.

Holiday Lights

• Maintain Your Holiday Lights
  Inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking or wear before putting them up. Use only lighting listed by an approved testing laboratory.
• Do Not Overload Electrical Outlets
  Do not link more than three light strands, unless the directions indicate it is safe. Connect strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into the outlet. Make sure to periodically check the wires - they should not be warm to the touch.
• Do Not Leave Holiday Lights on Unattended

Holiday Decorations

• Use Only Nonflammable Decorations
  All decorations should be nonflammable or flame-retardant and placed away from heat vents.
• Never Put Wrapping Paper in a Fireplace
  It can result in a very large fire, throwing off dangerous sparks and embers and may result in a chimney fire.
• Artificial Christmas Trees
  If you are using a metallic or artificial tree, make sure it is flame retardant.

Candle Care

• Avoid Using Lit Candles
  If you do use them, make sure they are in stable holders and place them where they cannot be easily knocked down. Never leave the house with candles burning.
• Never Put Lit Candles on a Tree
  Do not go near a Christmas tree with an open flame - candles, lighters or matches.

Finally, as in every season, have working smoke alarms installed on every level of your home, test them monthly and keep them clean and equipped with fresh batteries at all times. Know when and how to call for help. And remember to practice your home escape plan.

As always Buffalo Restoration is just a call away for your water and fire damage needs. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

Our 2011 Buffalo Restoration Fire Scholarship Recipient

We had the wonderful opportunity to meet with our 2011 recipient and her family and award her the scholarship on the 18th. Ashleigh Buckner is a nursing student who will use the scholarship to help fund her schooling as it becomes more intense as she starts her clinicals. Asheigh's dad Steve has been a volunteer at Fort Ellis Fire Department since 2005.

We will be giving away a Fire Scholarship at least once a year to a child or grandchild of an active or career fire personnel member. We are excited to be able to give back to these wonderful men and women who serve our community.

Pictured is Ben Yanker, Ashleigh Buckner, Alisa Lister and Steve Buckner

Prevent Ice Dams Early

Ice dams are the cause of water damage year after year. We are still early in the season and prevention is key.  Ice dams can cause water to leak into the attic and living areas, damaging sheet rock, flooring and personal possessions.  Water can find its way into wall cavities and go undetected and possibly cause mold to grow. It is also not uncommon to see damage to shingles and gutters on the exterior.

DO:
• Improve ventilation in attic
• Insulate around penetrations
• Clear out rain gutters
• Install heat cable as a last resort
• Remove icicles

DON’T:
• Climb on roofs with snow and ice
• Chip at ice – it may cause more damage

We are expanding our crew!

This has been a great year so far and it's hard to believe we only have 2 months left! We are happy to announce we have added another restoration technician to our team so we can continue the level of service our customers deserve. Brandon Bickford has joined our team as we are excited to have him on board.