Holiday Safety and Fire Prevention with Your Smart Home System

The winter holidays are approaching and with them comes an increase in stress. An estimated 88% of people believe the holidays are the most stressful time of the year, and 47% admit they usually take on more than they can handle^[1]. On top of that general holiday stress, this time of the year increases the risk of fire and other safety hazards. Christmas, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Day are the top three days of the year for candle fires^[2].

This holiday season will certainly look different. People have more time to decorate (and are spending more money on home goods!) but at the same time, they might spend time outdoors hosting small gatherings, on the road, and away from their homes if they so choose. Smart home security can help keep you safe when they’re home, and monitor your home while you’re away.

Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or just looking forward to ringing in the new year, you can reduce stress and keep yourself and your family safe by leveraging these smart home hacks.

Getting Prepped for The Holidays

A heat source too close to the Christmas tree causes one in every four winter fires². If you’ve decorated your home with a Christmas tree or menorah, or are planning to cook a game day or holiday meal, fire prevention should be top of mind. Here is a checklist of items to help keep your home safe and avoid a call to the fire department, helping you feel confident that you can step away from the kitchen for a few moments to socialize, you’re still protected.

• Keep Christmas trees watered and turn off string lights when you leave the room. A dry tree with hot lights is a recipe for a fire. And be sure to toss out your tree immediately after the holidays to minimize risk.
  
  
• Avoid placing candles, menorahs or kinaras next to fabrics (ex. curtains, pillows) or flammable materials. A lit candle on a fireplace next to an artificial garland can quickly spark a home fire. And ensure all open flames are placed atop a non-flammable surface to catch melting wax.
  
  
• Clean up greasy spills as you’re cooking to avoid that fire hazard, and keep fabrics like oven mitts and paper towels away from the stove.
  
  
• If you decide to deep fry a turkey or other food, place the deep fryer far away from trees and structures. Ensure your turkey won’t displace too much hot oil causing an overflow, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to a tee.
  
  
• If you’re setting off fireworks at home, do so far away from buildings and trees and keep a fire extinguisher on hand. Also, be sure to reference local laws and restrictions.

Taking a few moments out of your busy schedule to ensure your home is set up for a safe holiday season can make a huge difference, reducing stress and giving you greater peace of mind.

• It is important to test your smoke and CO detectors regularly, so the holidays are as good of a time as any. Make sure they’re still functioning and replace batteries so they don’t die on you during this important time of the year.
  
  
• Check your thermostat. With dropping temps in many places across the country, your pipes are at risk of freezing. Avoid this by ensuring the thermostat is set accordingly, and with remote temperature control to prevent freezing. You can also install a Flood Detector for added peace of mind.
  
  
• Walk through your house and check on all cords and outlets, taking stock of ones that are damaged. Ensure all cords are plugged in properly, replace fraying ones, and replace any appliances that have seen better days to prevent electrical fires or damage.
  
  
• Ensure harmful holiday plants are kept out of reach of children and pets. Festive plants like holly, poinsettia, mistletoe, and others can have adverse reactions when ingested and can even be poisonous to some pets, so think twice before putting them in easily-accessed locations. And consider buying fake but realistic versions instead.

If You’re Hosting or Staying at Home

This year, many people have elected to stay home when they otherwise might be traveling. You might be finding yourself in a new holiday tradition, or searching for ways to make existing traditions even safer. Here are a few ways to use your devices to make holiday gatherings as safe as possible.

• Use outdoor cameras to keep an eye on kids playing outdoors, or to monitor for social distancing and/or mask-wearing if you elect to have a small gathering.
  
  
• Use your doorbell camera to monitor for deliveries and visitors. Two-way talk can be used to ask visitors to sanitize their hands and meet you in the backyard, or to ask delivery people to leave a package on the front doorstep. This can also help prevent porch pirates since you’ll be alerted to activity on your front porch and can quickly bring your online purchase inside.
  
  
• Utilize Scenes in the ADT Control app to change lighting, from setting up a scene for New Year’s Eve dinner complete with dimmed lights and an armed perimeter to lighting up the inside of your house so it looks occupied while you’re in the backyard.

If You’re Traveling

Should you choose to hit the road, you’ll want to keep your home as secure as possible while you’re away. From smart locks to smart plugs, there are ways to not only physically secure your house but to deter burglars in the first place.

• Use motion sensors and door/window sensors to keep your property safe while you’re away. An ADT sticker on your windows plus visible door sensors and cameras can help deter break-ins and let criminals know your house is being monitored by professionals while you’re away.
  
  
• Use ADT Control scenes to arm your system while you’re away. You can also disarm your system for petsitters or plant sitters, and use it to keep an eye on indoor and outdoor camera activity at the same time.
  
  
• To ensure your home looks occupied, use automated lights and smart plugs to turn lights on and off, play music, and switch on TVs to deter burglars and give the sense that someone is home.
  
  
• Stay off social media. While it can be fun to share photos of your travels and family reunions, criminals can use those posts to indicate that homes are unoccupied. Keep that information off of the internet until you return.

Smart home security can make your life easier when it comes to protecting your entryways or monitoring for break-ins, but you can also use your smart home devices to their greatest potential this holiday season to help reduce stress and keep you and your family safe and happy. Whether you’re staying home solo, planning a small outdoor gathering or traveling to see family, smart home devices can give you even greater peace of mind.

Holiday Safety Checklist:

❏    Keep Christmas trees watered and turn off string lights when you leave the room.

❏    Avoid placing candles, menorahs, or kinaras next to or on top of fabrics or flammable materials.

❏    Clean up greasy spills as you cook.

❏    If you choose to use a deep fryer or set off fireworks, keep them far away from trees and structures, follow instructions, and keep an extinguisher on hand.

❏    Test your smoke and CO detectors regularly and replace batteries.

❏    Check your thermostat to avoid pipes freezing.

❏    Replace frayed electrical cords and damaged outlets.

❏    Keep harmful holiday plants away from children and pets.

❏    Use doorbell and outdoor cameras to monitor for guests and deliveries.

❏    Use two-way talk to enforce sanitizing and/or social distancing.

❏    Security system stickers can be used to deter burglars.

❏    Use remote-controlled security systems to check on your armed system and let in family, plant sitters, pet sitters, etc.

❏    Use automated lights and smart plugs to make your home look occupied while you’re away.

❏    Avoid sharing photos of your travels on social media as burglars can use these to identify empty houses.

[1] https://www.studyfinds.org/jingle-bell-crock-88-of-americans-feel-the-holiday-season-is-most-stressful-time-of-year/

[2]  https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/holiday_infographic.pdf

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