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1. Most candles today are made of tallow, which is another word for whale fat.

a.) True b.) False2.Itisestimatedthatonly20%ofcandlefirescould’vebeenprevented.

a.) True b.) False3. Which of the following is a good safety tip for extinguishing

candles? a.) Trim the wick b.) Use an appropriate candleholder c.)Makesurethecandleiscompletelyoutbeforeleaving the room d.)Don’tletacandleburnallthewaydown4. From 2009 to 2013, $374 million in property damage was attributedtocandlefires. a.) True b.) False

5.Whichmonthisthemostcommonmonthforcandlefires? a.) January b.) July c.) December d.) October

test yourself

Answers: 1.B 2.B 3.C 4.A 5.C

Candle Fire Data •Over9,000firesinpeoples’homesarecausedeachyearbycandles.Theaveragenumberofhomecandlefiresperdayis25.That’s25homeseachdaythatcould’veavoideddamage or total destruction if people could understand how dangerous unattended candles can be.

•Themostcommonplaceforcandlefirestobeginisinthebedroom.Ofallofthecandlefiresthatresultindeath,32%isassociatedwithbedroomcandlefires.

•Fallingasleepinthebedroomwithalitcandleisamajorfactorin11%ofhomecandlefires.

•Morethanhalfofhomecandlefiresoccurwhensomeformofcombustibleorflammableobjectwastooclosetothecandle.

•WithmanyAmericansincorporatingcandlesintoholidaydécor,Decemberisthemostcommonmonthforcandlefires.

•Fromjust2009to2013,UnitedStatesfiredepartmentsrespondedtocandlefiresthatresultedin$374millioninproperty damage.

Religious Candle Safety “This little light of mine; I’m going to let it shine.”

Multiple religions use candles in both places of worship and in homes.Whetheryou’reusingjustonecandleormorethanoneinacandelabraormenorah,it’simportanttheyareusedsafelyand correctly.

•Keepcandlesinasturdy,heatresistantcandleholder.

•Don’tpasscandlesfromonepersontoanother.

•Ifyou’relightingacandlefromanotherlitcandle,dipyourunlit candle down into the lit one, not the other way around. The wax from an already lit candle could fall and burn you.

•Don’tplacelitcandlesinawindowwhereacurtainortheblindscancatchfire.

•Ifacandlemustburncontinuously,besureit’sinaglasscontainer, on a metal tray, or in a basin surrounded by water.

blow before you go

candle safety

Throughouthistory,peoplehavemadeandusedcandlesforlight.ScholarsbelievethatRomanswerethefirsttomakecandles from tallow—cow or sheep fat—but the Chinese also developedcandlesusingwhalefatnotlongaftertheRomans.In the 1700s, with the explosion of the whaling industry, the new standard ingredient for candles became sperm whale oil, whichalmostdrovethespeciestoextinction.Withtheadventof kerosene lamps and the light bulb, candle manufacturing became almost obsolete. Today, candles are predominantly usedfordecorativeorreligiouspurposesandaremadefromparaffinwax—abyproductofpetroleumrefining—orplantwaxes.Essentialoils,artificialfragrancesanddyesarethenaddedtogivecandlestheiruniquescentsandcolors.

There are some things you can do to promote candle safety beforeyouevenlightthecandle,whileyouletitburnandonceyou’rereadytoextinguishit.

Before Lighting:

•Trimthewick.Longorcrookedwickscancauseunevenburning,whichcanleadtowaxdrippingeverywhere.

•Useanappropriatecandleholder.Itshouldberesistanttoheat, sturdy, and large enough to contain any melted wax thatdripsover.

•Makesuretheroomthatthecandleisiniswell-ventilated.

While Burning:

•Nevermovealitcandlewhilethewaxisliquefied.Thewaxcould spill and burn you.

•Don’tletacandleburnallthewaydown.Acandleinacontainer can safely burn to about ½ an inch of wax; a candle not contained should only be burned down to about 2 inches of wax left.

•Keepapproximately3inchesinbetweenmultiplecandles.The heat from one can start melting the wax of another unevenly,whichcouldcausetheunevencandletofallover.

•Becarefulifusingcandlesduringapoweroutage.Flashlightsorotherbattery-poweredlightsaremuchsaferthananopenflame.

When Putting the Candle Out:

•Neverusewatertoextinguishacandlebecauseitcancause the hot wax to splatter.

•Makesurethecandleiscompletelyoutbeforeleavingtheroom.

•Don’ttouchthecandleorattempttomoveituntilithascompletely cooled.

DecemberwasalwaysRebecca’sfavoritemonthgrowingup.SpendingChristmaswithherdad’ssideofthefamilyandHanukkahwithhermother’ssidealwaysmadeRebeccafeelelatedasakid.Thingsweregoingtobedifferentthisyear,however.Inordertokeepherscholarship,shehadtotakeaclassoverwinterbreakandwouldn’tbeabletotravelhomefortheholidays.“IfIcan’tgohometoexperiencetheholidays,” she thought to herself, “I can at least make my dormroomfeelmorelikehome.”Becauseshelivedinadorm,shecouldn’tbakecookies,butshecouldatleastdecorate,soshedecidedtobuyacandlethatsmelledjustlikesugarcookies.Assoonasthewaxbegantomelt,memoriesofhomefloodedhermind.Suddenlyveryhomesick,Rebeccadecidedtocallhome.“Itsmellsjustlikehome,andI’mjustmissingyouguys,”Rebeccaconfessed.“Wemissyoutoo,”herparentsreplied,andaftertalkingforawhile,Rebeccafeltbetter.Afterhangingupthephone,Rebeccadecidedtogotothedininghalltogetsomelunchandmaybestudyatthelibrary.Eventhough her roommate had gone home for break, and the roomwasquiet,shewantedtowalkandgetsomefreshairfromherstuffydormroom.

Afterspendingacoupleofhoursatthelibrary,Rebeccawalkedbacktoherdormtoseefiretrucksparkedoutside.Herheartsanktoherstomachassherealizedsheneverputthecandleoutaftershehungupwithherparents.Steve,the student worker who worked the front desk, ran out and huggedher.“I’msogladyou’reok,butwehaveaproblem.Thecandleyouleftinyourdormstartedthefire.Thedamageisn’ttooterrible,butyoudefinitelyhavetotransferrooms.Luckily,thetwootherroomsnexttoyoursweren’toccupiedbecauseofwinterbreak.”Completelymortified,Rebeccaknew that she would now be known as the girl who set the dormbuildingonfire.

History of Candles Shine Some Light On It

What Can I Do?

Rebecca’s Story

Eventhoughtheyaremeanttobringtranquilityandbeautytoaroom,candlescanbeadangerousfirehazard.OutofalloftheresidentialfiresintheUnitedStates,about4%werecausedbyamishandledcandle.InastudydonebytheU.SConsumerProductSafetyCommission,theyfoundthatover80%ofcandlefirescould’vebeenpreventedifthese3basicsafety rules had been followed:

•Neverleaveacandleunattended.

•Don’tleaveacandlewithinreachofachildorpet.

•Neverburnacandlenearsomethingflammable(likecurtains, towels, the bed comforter, etc.)

Delightful… but Dangerous