Safe Holiday Decorating Tips

Holiday decorating requires some basic safety knowledge when climbing ladders while decorating to electrical outlet use. No one wants to become the victim of a fire or electrical incident. There are a lot of potential hazards, but if you take the proper precautions everything can go off without a hitch.  
Follow these basic safety guidelines to help you to prevent any serious electrical and potential fire hazards when decorating this season:

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• ​​Avoid using candles when possible. Choose battery-operated candles in place of traditional candles.
• Purchasing a live tree? Check it for freshness. This reduces your chance of a fire hazard than a dry tree.
• Water your Christmas tree daily!
• Purchasing an artificial tree? Make sure to look for the label “fire resistant.”
• Look for safety guidelines! Use only electrical decorations and lights that have been approved for safe use by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
• Avoid cracked or frayed sockets, loose or bare wires, and loose connections may cause a serious shock or start a fire.
• Read and follow use and care instructions that accompany electrical decorations.
• Always unplug electrical decorations before replacing bulbs or fuses.
• Keep young children away from holiday lights, electrical decorations, and extension cords to prevent electrical shock and burn injuries.
• Never plug too many holiday lights and decorations into a single outlet. Overloaded outlets can overheat and cause a fire.
• Do not mount or support light strings in a way that might damage the cord’s insulation.
• Never connect more than three strands of incandescent lights together, and consider purchasing LED lights, which use less energy and run cooler than traditional incandescent lights.
• Outdoor Decorations: Make sure any electrical decorations used outdoors are marked for outdoor use.
• Keep all outdoor extension cords and light strings clear of snow and standing water.
• Outdoor electrical lights and decorations should be plugged into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).
• Use caution when decorating near power lines. Contact with a high-voltage line could lead to electrocution.
• Turn off all indoor and outdoor electrical decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

To find out more safety tips visit ESFI's holiday safety website http://www.holidaysafety.org