Beyond the Lights: Auditing Your Property for Holiday Fire & Electrical Hazards

Dec 15

When the holiday decorations go up, your property's fire and electrical risk profile changes instantly. The addition of hundreds of strings of lights, space heaters, and unattended candles creates a perfect storm for structural damage, resident injury, and catastrophic liability.

While local fire departments conduct annual checks, most property managers fail to adjust their operational protocols to account for high-risk seasonal tenant behavior.

As a security and emergency services expert, Shield Line Consulting knows that true prevention requires a proactive audit of both your structure and your safety procedures. Here are the three non-negotiable areas you must audit this week to protect your property from holiday fire hazards.

1. Electrical Load and Circuit Overload

Most holiday lighting and heating are added without any regard for the building’s original electrical capacity, creating serious and foreseeable hazards.

The Daisy Chain Problem: Tenants are notorious for connecting multiple power strips or "daisy-chaining" extension cords to power extensive light displays. This practice easily overloads circuits, leading to overheating and fire.
Space Heater Spikes: The moment the temperature drops, residents rely on space heaters, drawing massive amounts of power. Management must have clear, documented rules about approved heaters and safe placement (away from curtains, paper, and furniture).
The Wiring Audit: We often find damaged, frayed, or cheap holiday light wiring that is improperly secured. A strategic security audit includes a visual sweep for these simple, high-risk wiring violations in common areas and near electrical panels.

🛡️ Expert Insight: Fire risk is a liability risk. If an incident can be traced back to the manager's failure to enforce reasonable and documented safety protocols for electrical usage, the liability falls squarely on the property owner.

2. Unsecured Fire and Life Safety Systems

In the hustle of moving decorations and party supplies, tenants and staff often inadvertently compromise the integrity of your core fire safety infrastructure.

Propped Fire Doors: This is one of the biggest risks. Fire doors in hallways, stairwells, and utility rooms must remain closed. If they are propped open to move decorations or furniture, the fire containment protocol for the entire building is compromised.
Smoke Detector Obstruction: Decorations, tinsel, or temporary holiday structures can accidentally block or impair the function of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Blocked Egress: Are your main exits or fire lanes temporarily obstructed by large delivered items, holiday storage, or poorly placed exterior decorations? This is an immediate code violation and a life safety failure.

Proactive Step: The Compliance Walk-Through

Before the holiday break begins, your team should conduct a documented walk-through focused only on fire safety: checking fire door closures, ensuring clear pathways, and verifying all detectors are visible and functional.

3. The Unattended Risk: Candles, Cooking, and Flammable Decor

Tenant behavior is the hardest risk to control, but your communication and policy enforcement is your legal defense.

Candle Policy: Do you have a clear, zero-tolerance policy against open flames? If you allow candles (or open flames in common area features like fireplaces), you must document the risks and require specific safety measures.
Cooking Hazards: Holiday parties mean increased kitchen use, deep frying, and overcrowded cooking spaces. Does your property provide clear, recent reminders about kitchen fire safety and the proper use of fire extinguishers?
Live Tree Storage: Live Christmas trees, if not properly watered, become highly flammable kindling. Do you have a protocol for disposal and a strict date for removal from the property?

Secure Your Property, Not Just Your Assets

Fire and electrical incidents are not just accidents; they are often the result of predictable, unmanaged seasonal behaviors.

Shield Line Consulting brings our emergency services and law enforcement background to provide a holistic security and safety assessment that goes beyond theft. We audit your property against liability and life safety standards to ensure your protocols are iron-clad before the end of the year.