Deck the Halls Safely This Season

Thanks to holiday decorations, it’s the season where all is bright. While holiday décor makes this time of year festive, not using them properly can increase the risk of a fire. 

The National Fire Protection Association reports fire departments respond to nearly 800 structure fires that start from decorations each year, not including Christmas trees. Additionally, more than two in five Christmas tree fires involved electrical distribution or lighting equipment. 

Make safety a priority on your wish list this year and keep in mind these tips: 

1. When decorating outdoors, know where all power lines are located before you start. Contact with power lines can result in serious injury or death. Make a plan that will keep you and anything you are using as far away from power lines as possible. Nothing can come within 10-feet of most power lines, and higher voltages require even greater distances. Be sure lights and any tools are completely within your control to maintain a safe distance.

2. Never position decorations under power lines. If a decoration or other object comes in contact with electrical equipment, do NOT attempt to remove it. Call 911 immediately. 

3. Use lights that have been approved by Underwriters Laboratory, indicating they have been inspected for potential safety hazards. Look for the "UL" mark on the tag. Red UL marks indicate the lights are safe for indoor/outdoor use, and green UL marks indicate the lights are only safe for indoor use.

4. Inspect your lights before using them. Replace any that are worn, broken or have damaged sockets. 

5. Keep indoor lights away from curtains, furniture, carpet and any other flammable items.

6. Plug outdoor lights and inflatables into ground fault circuit interrupters, or GFCIs, to help prevent electric shock. 

7. Never connect more than three strings of incandescent lights together. 

8. Turn off lights before you go to bed or leave your home.

9. Keep candles away from decorations, blow them out when you leave or go to bed. More than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles, according to the NFPA. 

10. Have a real tree? Water it daily so it doesn’t dry out. As trees dry out, they become more flammable. The NFPA reports 30% of Christmas tree fires occur in January. 

11. Install smoke detectors throughout your home and make sure they are working properly. 

For more tips and resources to stay safe around electricity all year, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/safety. 

CONTACT: Brooke Conlan, 330-807-7564