Holiday Safety Alert

Holiday lights are beautiful but they can also be dangerous. Every year when readying the lights for display you should inspect them for damage. Cracked or damaged sockets, loose or bare wires, and loose connections may cause a serious shock or start a fire.

\

After inspecting the lighted decorations then you should carefully plan where to plug them in at. Be careful not to overload electrical outlets. Outlets that are overloaded and faulty wires are common causes of holiday fires. Only one high wattage appliance should be plugged into each outlet at a time. 

When connecting strings of incandescent lights be sure to never connect more than three strings of lights at a time. More than 3 strands is dangerous as they may blow fuse or start fires. 

I love real Christmas trees and the smell that they bring in the house. It is important to keep them watered daily as they can easily become dry. Dry trees are a serious fire hazard.

Be sure that decorations are kept at least 3 feet away from heat source. Being too close can result in a house fire. Decorations should have a certification label from an independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Canadian Standards Association (CSA) If the decorations do not have a label then they have not been tested for safety and could be hazardous 

Another danger when we are talking about decorating is where the cords are kept. Be careful not to place them in areas where they can be tripping hazards. Crossing doorways or walkways with extension cords is also dangerous. In addition, be careful that the decorations when not in use are turned off or unplugged. .