Holiday Gift Giving
December 2006
“Show people you care by keeping them safe.”
Fire Prevention Gift Ideas (US Fire Administration)
- Smoke Alarms - A working smoke detector more than doubles one’s chances of surviving a fire.
- Flashlights to use instead of candles - In 2002, 18,000 candle fires resulted in an estimated 130 civilian deaths, 1,350 civilian injuries and an estimated direct property loss of $333 million.
- Portable Fire Extinguishers Cooking is the leading cause of residential building fires in December, accounting for 41% of fires. A fire extinguisher can prevent most of these from getting worse.
- Steady Fire Place Screen More than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired appliances as primary heat sources in their homes. Heating fires account for 36% of residential fires each year.
For more information, see the DHS Report on December and Holiday Fires.
Home Safety Gift Ideas
- Carbon Monoxide alarms - According to the National Safety Council, 200-300 unintentional-injury deaths a year are due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Gift Certificate for First Aid/CPR Training Class - Each year, 8,800 die as a result of injuries sustained in and around their homes.
Preparedness Gift Ideas
- Ready To Go Emergency Preparedness Kit - Evacuations are more common than many people realize. Hundreds of times each year, transportation and industrial accidents release harmful substances, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes. Fires and floods cause evacuations even more frequently. (FEMA)
- AM/FM Radio with NOAA, TV VHF, Flashlight, and Cell-Phone Charger - The average U.S. customer loses power for 214 minutes per year. The average customer loses power once every 9 months, excluding hurricanes and other strong storms. (US DOE)
- Emergency Preparedness Kit - Over 50% of Southerners say that recent hurricanes gave them motivation to prepare for a disaster. But just 35% of people in the West, 31%, in the East, and only 21% in the Midwest have been motivated to prepare. (American Red Cross)