When I was three years old, my parents’ home caught on fire and burned to the ground. A burned fan was all that remained. I grew up fearing fire from the stories I heard about our house fire. In my mind it was the fan’s fault though why we still used the fan could never be reconciled in my mind. Children have such strange thoughts!
I did learn that house fires are devastating to life, property and mental health. In elementary school whenever I heard a fire alarm or fire truck I would worry it was my house and what would happen to my dog since my mother worked. I did not feel secure that when I returned home that it would still be there and not burned away. I have outgrown my fear of fire; now I am fire safety woman!
I celebrate Christmas; actually, I celebrate two Christmases. My tree stays up from December 5 until January 8. Really who could blame me for the putting it up the first week of December? Armenian Christmas the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th. In honor of the Russians giving the Armenians, the Georgian part of their country, I keep my tree up for Russian Christmas too. After all, it is only one more day.
The trick is how to keep a tree alive for over a month. Simple technique is to cut about an inch or two from the base when you get your tree home and water it immediately. Keep it watered. If you have pets that enjoy drinking from the tree refill the water more than once a day. Do not let your tree dry out as that will form a sap barrier and the tree will be unable to absorb water. Once the tree no longer absorbs water, the tree begins the drying process.
The video clip (really short clip) from the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology illustrates what happens when fire touches a dry tree. Within three seconds of ignition, the dry Scotch pine is completely ablaze. At five seconds, the fire extends up the tree and black smoke with searing gases streaks across the ceiling. Fresh air near the floor feeds the fire. The sofa, coffee table and the carpet ignite prior to any flame contact. Within 40 seconds "flashover" occurs - that's when an entire room erupts into flames, oxygen is depleted and dense, deadly toxic smoke engulfs the scene.
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| The Gold Round Ornament is the Fire/Smoke Detector |
I keep my tree in a separate room and shut the door when not at home and awake. I also have a smoke detector ornament that hangs on the tree. I have an artificial tree now but I previously had a real tree, which was well watered. Even with an artificial tree, common sense applies: no open flames near the tree, no antique lights on the tree that get over heated, and no leaving the tree lights on when not home and awake.
Here is wishing you a happy and safe Christmas tree.
*This is a series of blogs regarding fire prevention. There is more to come.
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