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The upcoming holiday season can present safety hazards in many different ways in your home, whether you are residing on or off-base. If planning to stay at home during the holidays, it is important to know about some of the potential home hazards. The KMC Housing Office has collected a few important “Holiday Safety Tips” for you and your family.
The DOs and DON’Ts
- DON’T wait before the deep chill of winter sets in. Winterize your home now!
- DON’T use exterior decorations that can impede walking paths. Keep your stairs clear and don’t cover railings with decorations in such a way that people can’t grab on if they need to steady themselves.
- DON’T forget to check all lights and extension cords for frayed wires, damaged sockets, and gaps in the insulation. If they are damaged, toss them!
- DON’T link more than 3 strands of lights together.
- DON’T plug different types of light sets together; including one of your old incandescent light strings into a new LED set.
- DON’T mount lights in any way that could damage the electrical cord’s insulation using nails, tacks or staples. Instead, string them through hooks, use plastic clips, or secure them with insulated tape.
- DON’T overload electrical circuits.
- DON’T run extension cords under rugs. Instead, try to run them next to the wall so there is no tripping/fire hazard. Never connect extension cords together.
- DO watch while cooking in the kitchen. Statistically, unattended cooking is the most common cause of home fires.
- DO keep the proper type of fire extinguisher in or near your kitchen.
- DO hang outdoor lights safely (test your lights before it’s time to hang them). If you’re using a ladder to hang your lights—have a second person hold the bottom of the ladder for added safety.
- DO turn off all of your decorative lights when you leave the house and before you go to bed. Or be sure to keep lights on a timer (follow the KMC housing guidance for the applicable times).
- DO, when using candles, make sure that candles are placed a safe distance from anything that could catch fire and never leave them unattended when lit. Make sure that your candles are in sturdy holders with no risk of falling over!
- DO unplug unused appliances when you’re away from your home or on extended vacations.
- DO look for safety-certified decorations to prevent possible electrical issues.
- DO check your outdoor water faucets to prevent frozen pipes (drain remaining water) and if necessary, wrap the fixtures during the cold.
- DO use these tips to keep the approaching holidays with “safety” as your top priority!
- DO contact the KMC Housing Office for any questions/concerns that you might have when decorating your home. If you live off-base, your landlord is your primary point of contact for answering any of your inquiries.
When it comes to safety around the holidays you can never be too careful… So, what else would you add to the list?
For any other housing questions/concerns, please email us at KMCHousing@us.af.mil or call:
- Assistance Section: DSN: 314-489-6672 – Comm: 0631-536-6672
- Facilities Section on-base: DSN: 314-489-7108 – Comm: 0631-536-7108
- Housing Referral Office off-base: DSN: 314-489-6643/6659 – Comm: 0631-536-6643/6659
To keep abreast of the many goings-on in Family Housing, you can now view our Facebook page, which can be found at; https://www.facebook.com/KMCHousingOffice/
As a continuing reminder, the Housing Office will close every Wednesday at 11:30 for administrative time.
The KMC Family Housing Team is in the business of 100% “Customer Satisfaction.”
STAY SAFE DURING COVID-19
