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Light Up the Holidays - The Safe Way
 It's
the holiday season again - that special time of year when
you brighten your home with colorful and twinkling lights.
Although decorating with electric lighting helps you create
a cheerful atmosphere, it also brings an increased risk of
accidental fire.
Here are some important safety tips
to help you avoid electrical fires, overloaded circuits and
other holiday fire hazards both outside and inside your home.
> Outside
Lights
> Inside Lights
> Christmas Tree
Safety
> Candle Fire--Beauty
or a Beast?
> Candles and
Children
> During Power
Outages
> Holiday Lighting
Information and Links
Outside
Lights
- Always buy lights and electrical
decorations bearing the name of an independent testing lab,
and follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation
and maintenance.
- Never use seasonal lighting outside
your home unless it is specifically labeled for outdoor
use.
- Connect outside lighting to a Ground
Fault Circuit Interrupting (GFCI) outlet. If you don't have
a GFCI outlet, contact a qualified electrician for proper
installation.
- Never secure the wiring of outdoor
lighting with staples or nails - or place lights on sharp
hooks or nails.
- Do not close doors or windows on
extension cords, or mount lights in any way that can damage
the cord's wire insulation.
- Carefully inspect new and previously
used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging
lights in. Never overload extension cords.
Inside
Lights
- Keep kids and pets away from light
strings and electrical decorations.
- Unplug all holiday lighting before
leaving the house or when going to bed.
- Make sure the lamps do not rest on
the supply cord or on any wire.
- Avoid covering lights with cloth,
paper or any material that is not part of the lighting.
- Throw away any lighting that shows
cut, damaged or frayed wire insulation or cords. Also discard
lights with cracks in lamp holders, loose connections or
exposed copper wire.
- Virtually all holiday lighting is
provided with overload fuse protection. A blown fuse indicates
an overload or short-circuit situation. When this occurs,
unplug lights from the outlet immediately and replace the
blown fuse.
- If the replacement fuse blows, a
short circuit may be present. Either throw the light string
away - or return it to the retailer if new.
- Take the lights down when the holidays
are over. Seasonal lighting is not intended for permanent
installation or use.
Christmas
Tree Safety
- When lights are placed on a live
tree, be sure your tree is fresh and well maintained. Never
purchase a tree with dry or dropping needles.
- Keep live trees as moist as possible
by giving them plenty of water every day.
- Choose a sturdy tree stand designed
not to tip over. Make sure the tree stand is well secured
and stable before putting on the lights.
- Always use safe tree lights that
have been tested by an independent testing laboratory.
- Inspect lights carefully. If a string
of lights has worn, frayed or broken cords, or loose bulb
connections it should not be used.
- Place the tree at least three feet
away from any heat source. Try to position it near an outlet
so cords don't have to run long distances.
- Do not position the Christmas tree
where it may block exits.
- Never use electric lights on a metal
tree.
- Buy artificial trees only if they
are labeled as fire-retardant.
- Make sure larger tree lights have
some type of reflector rather than a bare bulb.
- Keep an eye on children when they
are near the tree and do not let them play with the wiring
or lights.
- Store matches and lighters up high,
out of the reach of children.
- Safely dispose of the tree when it
begins dropping needles. Don't keep dried out trees in your
home or garage, as they are highly flammable.
- NEVER attempt to burn a dried out
tree in your home's fireplace. It may burst into hard-to-control
flame instantly.
Candle
Fire - Beauty or a Beast?
- The warm glow of holiday candlelight
is beautiful, but can be a severe fire hazard. Since December
is the peak month for candle fires, put safety first when
lighting any holiday candle. Here are a few safety tips
to observe.
- NEVER use candles to decorate your
Christmas tree!
- Keep candles away from decorations
and other combustible materials.
- Extinguish all candles when leaving
the room or going to sleep.
- Don't place candles in windows, where
blinds and curtains can close over them.
- Use sturdy candleholders that won't
tip over easily and are large enough to collect dripping
wax.
- Remember, a candle is an open flame
and can easily ignite nearby combustible materials - such
as clothing, books, paper or any flammable liquid.
- Keep candlewicks trimmed to one quarter
inch and extinguish taper and pillar candles when they are
within two inches of the holder. Votive candles should be
put out before the last half-inch of wax starts to melt.
Candles and Children
- Keep candles up high and out of reach
of children.
- Do not use candles in places where
they could be knocked over by children.
- Never leave a young child unattended
in a room with a lighted candle.
- Don't allow children or teens to
have candles in their bedrooms.
- Store candles, matches and lighters
up high - out of children's sight and reach.
During Power Outages
- Try to avoid carrying a lit candle.
- Don't use a lit candle when searching
for items in a confined space.
- Never use a candle for a light when
checking pilot lights or fueling equipment such as a kerosene
heater or lantern.
Sources
of holiday lighting information and web links
National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
K-Mart,
Brilliance and Trim-A-Home holiday lights
Wal-Mart,
Holiday Time lights
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