Keep your family safe each holiday season

by Christine Grammes The holidays are a fun-filled time with all of the lights and decorations. However, misuse of these electrical products can put you at risk of accidental fire. Each year, fires occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 people and cause more than $930 million in damage, according to the United States Fire Administration. Here are some tips for using electrical products safely during the holidays: • Before decorating, read and follow the manufacturers’ instructions concerning installation and maintenance of all decorative electrical products. • Use lights and other electrical decorations certified by a recognized, independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL). • Use lights certified for outdoor use only for outdoor use. • Carefully inspect every cord and wire before plugging them into a socket. Cracked, frayed, loose or bare wires may cause a serious electric shock or start a fire. • Do not mount or support light strings in any way that might damage the cord’s insulation. Never nail or staple light strings or extension cords. • Unplug electrical decorations before replacing light bulbs or fuses. • Do not connect more than three light string sets together. Light strings with screw-in bulbs should have no more than 50 bulbs connected together. • Do not overload extension cords. • Keep all extension cords and light strings clear of snow and standing water. • Use caution when decorating near power lines, especially if using a ladder. • Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. • Do not allow children or pets to play with electrical decorations. • Turn off decorations before leaving home or going to bed. • Plug outdoor lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).