Give gifts that promote fire safety

Show loved ones you care and are mindful of their personal safety by giving creative, practical presents that will protect them from fire this holiday season and throughout the year.

Here are some suggestions from the National Fire Protection Association:

•Smoke alarms. If a fire occurs, having a smoke alarm cuts in half the chance of dying. Consider smoke alarms for everyone on the list. Smoke alarms for people who are deaf or hard of hearing include strobe lights, high decibels and/or vibration. All smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years.

•Flashlights for emergency lighting instead of candles. This avoids the risk of fire from an open flame.

•Sturdy candleholders to prevent tip-over when candles are lit.

•A sturdy fireplace screen to keep embers out of the room.

•Gift certificates for cleanup services to remove clutter that could give fires a place to start or trip someone if they need to escape quickly during a fire. Chimney sweeps can reduce oily creosote buildup in chimneys that can be easily ignited, and many chimney sweeps provide more comprehensive fire inspection, maintenance and cleanup services.

•Warm nightwear or bedding to reduce the need for space heaters, the equipment involved in three-fourths of home heating fire deaths. NFPA recommends that heaters be turned off at night when people go to sleep.

•Nightwear or bathrobes with tight-fitting sleeves that will stay well away from cooking flames and hot surfaces like stove burners.

•Large, deep, sturdy ashtrays. If family members or friends smoke, using appropriate ashtrays can prevent smoking materials from igniting upholstered furniture, bedding or other nearby combustibles.

•Portable fire extinguishers, with clear instructions on how to use them, as well as strong encouragement to the gift recipient to learn the rules of safe extinguisher usage so they will be ready if fire occurs.

•Oven mitts for handling cooking equipment, tableware or cookware and especially to permit safe placement of a lid on a stove pan to smother a small fire.

•Large house numbers so firefighters can locate a home at night quickly during an emergency.

•Carbon monoxide alarms. While this item won't help keep loved ones safe from fire, it's something to consider for home safety. Often called the silent killer, carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas formed when fuels such as natural gas, oil and wood burn incompletely.

•Stocking stuffers. Download fire safety information, including

home escape grids, from

NFPA's web site, www.nfpa.org, or for children, www.sparky.org. Don't forget batteries for smoke alarms and flashlights.

Facts and figures to consider for seasonal safety:

Generally, December, January and February are the deadliest months for fires.

In recent years, the top three days for home fires were Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Christmas Eve.

Home candle fires occur at nearly twice the rate in December as throughout the rest of the year, at least in part because of holiday decorations and rituals.

NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building and life safety to the public since 1896.