ARKANSAS, USA — There's no brighter or merrier way to show your holiday spirit than with festive light decorations. By the peak of the holiday season, a majority of people have hung lights inside and outside their homes. While this can be "the most wonderful time of the year," it's still important to keep the risks in mind to stay safe.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Christmas lights cause 40% of Christmas tree fires. NFPA also says seasonal decorations are the cause of "an average of 790 home structure fires."
NFPA says improperly installed lights can cause injuries, turning magic into tragic. To avoid this, Entergy Arkansas has offered some safety tips that will help light your way into an injury-free season.
🎄Interior lights:
- For those who have live Christmas trees, Entergy suggests making sure that it is fresh and has needles that don't easily fall or pull from its branches.
- Put your tree on a stand with water
- Check the water daily
- Keep your tree away from heaters or fireplaces.
- Before adding lights to your tree, Entergy says you should examine them prior to applying them on your tree or any holiday displays.
- Entergy says you should avoid "lights with frayed wiring or loose sockets" and make sure they are safety tested "by and independent testing laboratory."
- According to Energy.gov., not only are cool-burning LED lights safer, but they also save you energy and money due to their low use of electricity.
- Another thing to check are light sockets. Entergy says you should check that there is a light bulb in all of them to keep them from making contact with tree branches, potentially igniting a fire.
- It might seem obvious, but experts say you should "never burn candles on or near the tree," much less use flammable decorations.
- Entergy says you should never use lights on a metallic tree because if the lights become faulty, the entire tree "could be electrified."
- Extension cords, outlets or whole circuits should not be overloaded, according to experts.
- Experts recommend turning off decorative lighting before leaving the room.
- Entergy says be mindful of where the light wires run as they can easily cause someone to trip and fall. Also, avoid running wires under rugs.
✨Outdoor lights:
- First off, experts suggest that you make sure the lights you are using for the exterior of your home are designed for outdoor use.
- Entergy suggests using a "non-conducting fiberglass or wooden ladder when working with strings of lights." Also, remember to look out for overhead wires.
- Experts remind you to not replace bulbs while they are connected to electricity.
- Light bulbs should not touch "flammable materials" like plastic or dry plants.
- If you are using an extension cord, experts say you should only use "three-wire grounded" cords. Here's what those look like.
- Experts suggest hanging lights downward to keep water out. If you wish to keep them facing upward, an alternative are rubber gaskets.
- Last but not least, experts suggests keeping connections and lights off the ground "by hanging them over wood stakies." They also recommend turning holiday lights off when you leave your home or go to sleep.
For more safety tips on holiday lighting, click here.
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