Tips for safe, fire-free, merry holiday season

Let Christmas be merry, not fiery.

Fire authorities in Metro Manila have been placed on heightened alert in anticipation of incidents involving defective Christmas lights, which have been blamed for fires during the yuletide in years past.

The Bureau of Fire Protection-National Capital Region (BFP-NCR) issued Wednesday a reminder to the public to avoid buying low-quality Christmas lights sold at very cheap prices.

“We would like to remind the public to be extra-careful in buying Christmas lights that might turn out to be substandard. According to our statistics, this is one of the main causes of fires that razed several houses in Metro Manila,” said Chief Superintendent Santiago Laguna, BFP-NCR director.

In a statement, he said he had already directed all fire district directors, city and town fire marshals to intensify their campaign in educating the community about fire safety, particularly the use of Christmas lights.

Laguna added that he had also instructed them to conduct inspections of all commercial establishments around Metro Manila to make sure that the Christmas lights being sold complied with the safety standards of the Department of Trade and Industry.

At the same time, he reminded the public to look for the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) mark, which is proof that the item complies with standards and is safe to use.

Officials cited the case of the daughter of former congressman Jose de Venecia, Kristina Casimira “KC” de Venecia, who died in December 2004 in a fire believed caused by faulty Christmas lights in their Makati residence.

“In order to avoid similar incidents, we would like to remind the public to ensure that all electrically sourced appliances especially Christmas lights should be properly installed by a competent licensed electrician,” Laguna said.

He enumerated other fire safety tips and guidelines for a fire-free holiday:

• Never burn wrapping paper, boxes or other trash in the fireplace; don’t leave a fire unattended; put the fire out before going to bed; make sure candles are in stable and secure holders and keep them away from combustible materials and small children.

Never leave candles unattended; check holiday lights and replace cracked or broken bulbs, frayed wires and check loose plugs. Don’t use lights that are not safe, and in case of fire and other emergencies, call the hotline 117.