Safety

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Christmas Tree Safety Tips

A fire on any day seems bad, but a fire on Christmas seems to be the worst. Some 300 Christmas trees caught fire in one recent year, with electrical problems the most common culprit. Here's how to keep your tree green and your presents safe.

When you buy your tree, have the vendor make a fresh cut an inch from the bottom; this will help the tree drink.

If you buy your tree early and keep it outside, store it away from wind and sun, and keep the bottom in a bucket of water.

Make sure your lights are safe. If you need outdoor lights, make sure the ones you buy are meant for outdoor use. Make sure your lights carry certification from a testing laboratory.

Don't use electric lights on a metal tree.

Discard any strings of lights that are frayed or broken. Christmas lights are cheap.

Unplug your Christmas tree before you leave or go to bed.

Don't buy a tree that is dry and dropping needles. To check for freshness, loosely grip the end of a branch and pull your hand over it. Only a few needles should fall off.

Make sure your tree stand holds plenty of water, and don't let it run out.

If your tree seems wobbly, center it in the stand more securely and redo the bolts or screws. Of if your tree stand is cheap, buy a larger, stronger one.

If you buy an artificial tree, make sure it is fire-retardant.

Keep your tree at least three feet from furnaces, radiators and fireplaces.

try to position it near an outlet so that cords are not running long distances. Do not place the tree where it may block exits.

When Christmas is over or when the tree starts to drop needles, dispose of it. Don't leave it in your house or put it in your garage.

Keep a close eye on small children when they are around the tree; many small decorations and ornaments are sharp, breakable and can be swallowed.

Automotive Tire Safety Tips

Poorly Inflated Tires Increase Fuel Costs and Emissions
That may not sound like much, but it means that the average person who drives 12,000 miles yearly on under-inflated tires uses about 144 extra gallons of gas, at a cost of $300-$500 a year. And each time one of those gallons of gas is burned, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere as the carbons in the gas are released and combine with the oxygen in the air. As such, any vehicle running on soft tires is contributing as much as 1.5 extra tons (2,880 pounds) of greenhouse gases to the environment annually.

Fully Inflated Tires are Safer
Besides saving fuel and money and minimizing emissions, properly inflated tires are safer and less likely to fail at high speeds. Under-inflated tires make for longer stopping distances and will skid longer on wet surfaces. Analysts point to under-inflated tires as a likely cause of many SUV rollover accidents. Properly inflated tires also wear more evenly and will last longer accordingly.

Check Tire Pressure Frequently and When Tires are Cold
Mechanics advise drivers to check their tire pressure monthly, if not more frequently. The correct air pressure for tires that come with new vehicles can be found either in the owner’s manual or inside the driver-side door. Beware, though, that replacement tires may carry a different PSI rating than the originals that came with the car. Most new replacement tires display their PSI rating on their sidewalls.

Also, tire pressure should be checked when tires are cold, as internal pressure increases when the car has been on the road for a while, but then drops when the tires cool back down. It is best to check tire pressure before heading out on the road to avoid inaccurate readings.

Automotive Refueling – Static Electricity

Few American motorists know that static electricity around gas pumps can ignite a deadly fire while they're filling up.

Ignacio Sierra has personal experience of that danger. He was pumping gasoline when his vehicle suddenly burst into flames with his daughter Esperanza inside. "She started screaming," remembers Sierra. "I knew if I opened the door, the flames would start to go inside." He did manage to get Esperanza out unharmed, but the fire ruined his car and destroyed the gas station. Sierra set off the blaze by doing something many motorists do; he re-entered his car to retrieve money while the gas was still pumping. His movement created friction against the car seat that built up static electricity in his body. Then when he exited the car and touched the gas pump nozzle, the electricity sparked and ignited the gas fumes coming from his car's gas tank. About a dozen victims of static gas pump fires have talked to CNN. All said they had no idea this sort of fire was a possibility until it happened to them.

Static electricity-caused fires at the pump are extremely rare. In fact, Americans pump gasoline into their cars an estimated 11 to 12 billion times a year, generally without incident. But static electricity may build up when a motorist re-enters the vehicle during fueling and slides across the seat. When the motorist returns to the nozzle, the static may discharge at the fill point, potentially igniting gasoline vapors and causing a flash or a small sustained fire. Potential problems with static electricity at the pump may occur any time of year, but most typically incidents have occurred when the air is cool and dry. Although static electricity-related refueling fires are rare, according to API and PEI, these incidents have caused a few injuries and some property damage.

The primary way consumers can avoid static electricity problems at the gas pump is to stay outside the vehicle while refueling. It may be a temptation to get back in the car for any number of reasons. But the average fill-up takes only two minutes, and staying outside the vehicle will greatly reduce the likelihood of any build-up of static electricity that could be discharged at the nozzle.

If a motorist experiences a fire when refueling, leave the nozzle in the fill pipe of the vehicle and back away. Leaving the nozzle in the vehicle will prevent any fire from becoming much more dangerous. Notify the station attendant immediately to shut off all dispensing devices and pumps. If the facility is unattended, use the emergency shutdown button to shut off the pump and try to summon help.

If you must re-enter your vehicle during refueling, be sure to discharge any static that may have built up before reaching for the nozzle. Static may be safely discharged by touching a metal part of the vehicle, such as the vehicle door, or some other metal surface, away from the nozzle, with a bare hand.

Consumers can minimize these and other potential fueling hazards by following safe refueling procedures all year long. Always put portable gasoline storage containers on the ground to fill them and keep the nozzle in contact with the rim of the container. Never allow children under licensed driving age to operate the pump.