DRIPPING SPRINGS   — Staying safe is not something people always think of during the hustle and bustle of getting ready for the holidays. Here are a few tips for keeping family, friends and the home safe during the month of December.

Christmas Trees

Make sure to keep an eye on the Christmas tree, even if it’s an artificial one. According to Dillon Polk, the fire marshal for North Hays County Fire/Rescue, artificial trees are a little easier to take care of because they don’t dry out, but they are still made of meltable and flammable materials. A real tree should never be allowed to dry out, as it becomes more of a fire hazard the drier it gets. Be sure to keep both artificial and real trees away from fireplaces, wood stoves and space heaters.

“LED lights are not near as bad as the incandescent lights back in the day, but [real trees] still dry out,” said Polk.

Christmas Lights

For those who decorate the outside of the house as well as the inside, making sure that the electrical outlets aren’t overloaded is important, said Polk. Don’t plug too many lights into one outlet or connect too many string lights together. Inflatables and other outside decorations should also be on a timer to make sure that they don’t run for too long.

Cooking

While turkey is usually associated with the Thanksgiving holiday, some still fry up a turkey for the winter holidays. According to Polk, when frying a turkey, be sure to not have the pot of oil too close to the house — frying on a wooden deck would also be a bad idea, as the potential overflow could spill out and cause a fire. Additionally, a space should be cleared out away from the house to fry the turkey and tools and equipment should be clean and free of debris.

“It’s good to, every few months or so, check the date [on the fire extinguisher] and check the pressure on them. [It’s] real easy to do. And then, just make sure you turn it a couple of times a year, so that the chemical doesn’t settle in the bottom,” said Polk. “But know where your fire extinguishers are and always have one close by when [you’re] cooking. Whether indoor or outdoor, you should always have one.”

Fireworks

Fireworks are a huge part of the New Year’s celebration. Some tips for using fireworks around the holiday season, according to Polk, include:

• When lighting up mortar tubes or shells, clear a 100-foot area around the launching site.

• Be sure to supervise children around fireworks, even sparklers, as those can burn at around 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Soak the remainder of the fireworks in water after they’re done to prevent them from re-lighting.

• Have a fire extinguisher handy.

Winter weather

For the past few years, the Central Texas area has gotten intermittent ice storms and freezes. This can cause pipes to burst, roads to freeze and electricity to cut out. According to Jeanine Southall, the community outreach coordinator for North Hays County Fire/Rescue, to keep safe from potential water damage, residents should always know where the water shut off valve is at their home.

When being mindful of the winter weather, other tips include: not running generators inside, even the garage, or carbon monoxide poisoning becomes a threat and they should be run at least 15 feet from the house; when running space heaters, make sure that they have adequate space around them and that they are turned off and unplugged when not at home; and if the roads do have ice, drive carefully.

For more information about fire safety and North Hays County Fire/Rescue, visit www.northhaysfire.com.