Christmas trees, both natural and artificial, are the first item ignited in an average of 250 reported home fires each year.

We see Christmas trees next to heat sources such as baseboard electric heat, space heaters, and fireplaces. Without being alerted, it is only a matter of time before these trees turn into 6 foot blowtorches.

Holiday lights cause an average of 170 reported home fires per year.

Be sure to maintain your holiday lights this season, by inspecting for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in insulation, and broken or cracked sockets. Overloaded electrical outlets are more common than people think and can often cause fires.

The general rule that we advise homeowners to follow is not to link more than three light strands together on the same outlet.

Candles cause an average of 15,600 reported fires in residential structures each year, December being the month with the highest-reported frequency.

So often these are things that go overlooked and cause fires. Make sure you and your family are safe this year by taking proactive steps to prevent unnecessary risks.

Have an up-to-date emergency plan and practice fire drills regularly with members of your household.

Lastly, another hazard to be aware of as the weather gets colder is frozen water pipes, which damage a quarter of a million homes every year.

Both plastic (PVC) and copper pipes may burst with just an eighth-inch crack releasing up to 250 gallons of water a day.

If you detect that your water pipes have frozen, turn off the water at the main shut-off, leave the water faucets in your home turned on and notify your plumber.

Teaching homeowners how to turn off their water at the main is something Red Services does every day, and knowing how to do this will save hundreds of dollars in repair costs in the event of a broken water pipe.

As a public service, Red is providing no-cost Home Safety Reviews by off-duty Firefighters for Kirkland residents. Call 888-557-5167 for your appointment.

Christian Wathne is a trained professional firefighter and co-owner of RED Services in Kirkland. Founded by a local firefighter and UW students, RED, a private company, brings the resources of trained off-duty firefighters into residential homes to prepare families and individuals for unexpected emergencies. Now for this holiday season in Kirkland, Trust RED’s experts to give your home a complete fire and emergency preparedness inspection at no cost. Our mission is to protect and educate every home in our community. For more information, visit www.CountyRed.com.