With New Year's Eve just around the corner, huge parties and family celebrations have most likely been organized to welcome 2016. But before commencing the fun and exciting festivities, make sure you've got all the safety bases covered to prevent mishaps and costly accidents.
As Host of the Party
As the host of the party, there are some things you have to be aware of, especially if you're hosting the party in your own home. Two things of utmost importance that you have to be attentive about are fire threats and possible drunk-driving, especially if you will be serving alcohol in your party. You wouldn't want your guests to end up in a hospital on New Year's Day, after all.
1. Secure your home from the threat of fire
Fire can break out in the homes of even the most careful people. When a host is busy attending to the guests, their attention is divided and they won't be able to keep an eye out on fire hazards all the time, so it is better for hosts to double-check their home's condition in advance.
What can you do to prevent fire from ravaging your home?
Before the party:
Check your home's smoke detector and clean it. Make sure that it is still functional so that any signs of smoke or fire would be detected before things get worse.
If your Christmas tree is still up, make sure it is away from anything that could start a fire.
Invest on electrical outlet plug covers to make sure an accidental liquid spill won't suddenly cause short circuits.
Do not leave your cooking unattended. If you're done with the cooking, make sure the stove is off and double-check the kitchen if anything seems amiss.
Make sure appliances that will not be used are unplugged.
If you plan to set off non-explosive fireworks, make sure everything is stored properly and it is not easily accessible to children.
During the party:
If your lit firework is taking too long to light up, just be patient and wait a little longer. DO NOT RETURN TO AN ALREADY LIT FIREWORK.
If the firework you lit up is a dud, just lament the fact and move on instead of trying to light it up again. Remember: DO NOT RETURN TO AN ALREADY LIT FIREWORK.
If your guests are bringing kids to the party, remind them to instruct the children about the golden rule of fireworks: DO NOT RETURN TO AN ALREADY LIT FIREWORK.
Keep a bucket of water and sand nearby to dump on used fireworks.
2. No drunk driving
You're hosting the party in your own home so you won't be doing any driving but that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do to keep your guests from drunk driving, especially if you're the one who served alcohol at the party.
Make sure to keep water available for those who are drinking alcohol. As an additional treat and to sober up your guests, prepare a batch of coffee for them to drink 30 minutes to an hour before leaving. Likewise, you can always invite your guest take a rest in your home until the effects of the alcohol are considerably diminished or have your guest take a cab home.
As the Guest
Simply attending a New Year's Eve party is fun but make sure that you are also careful inside someone else's home.
If you smoke, make sure you don't smoke near any flammable items and you completely put out your cigarettes to avoid accidental fires.
Likewise, if there are fireworks, make sure to put them out properly and remember the golden rule of using fireworks: DO NOT RETURN TO AN ALREADY LIT FIREWORK.
If you're going with friends, agree on a designated driver who would avoid drinking at the party so he or she could get you all home safely.
Make sure no one pressures your designated driver into drinking.
Do not leave your drink unattended, especially if there are strangers in the party. If you do leave your drink unattended, discard it completely upon return.
If you drive to a party alone, SOBER UP before getting behind the wheel again. NO DRUNK DRIVING.
Take a cab home instead and come back for your car when you're sober. If you know beforehand that there will be alcohol served and you'd probably end up drinking, just take a cab to and from the party so there's no chance of you drinking and driving.
It's all fun and games until someone carries a lifetime's worth of guilt and burden of accidentally ruining someone's life due to drunk driving, so don't be a statistic.
It doesn't matter if you're the host or just an attendee at a New Year's Eve party. What matters is that when the sun rises on Jan. 1, you and your companions are safe and prepared to face the challenges of the year ahead instead of carrying guilt.
