How early is too early to start celebrating?
While some of the more hardcore holiday enthusiasts start decorating their homes right after Halloween, millions more will join them in stringing up lights throughout December.
But before you deck the halls with decorative displays, remember to do so safely.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments respond to an estimated average of 835 home structure fires per year that begin with decorations, excluding Christmas trees. Of the fires that did include Christmas trees, 41% involved electrical or lighting equipment.
Check your holiday lights, decorations and extension cords for damage before using them.
“Nationally, we know that 17% of home decoration fires occur in December, so we encourage customers to plan ahead this festive season,” said Tammy Yamasaki, senior advisor of Wildfire and Public Safety at Southern California Edison. “Inspect your holiday lights, decorations and extension cords for damage before using them throughout your home whether that’s indoors or outdoors.”
For added safety, use power strips with built-in surge and overload protection and select extension cords certified for electrical safety by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as UL Solutions or ETL. And avoid plugging too many extension cords and decorations into one outlet. They can overheat and cause a fire.
- Read manufacturer’s instructions for the number of light strands to connect.
- Consider energy-efficient LED holiday lights that produce less heat than incandescent bulbs.
- Opt for battery-operated flameless candles.
- Turn off all indoor and outdoor holiday decorations when you are not home and before going to sleep.
- Water your Christmas tree daily. A dry tree is a fire hazard and should not be left in your home.
- Use only electrical lights designated for outdoors and outdoor-rated extension cords designed for wet conditions.
- Never use nails or staples to attach a string of lights or a cord.
- Exercise caution when decorating near power lines. Keep yourself and tools at least 10 feet away.
- Lights or decorations should never be installed on power lines or utility poles.
- Bring outdoor electrical lights inside after the holidays to prevent hazards.
For more tips on electrical safety, visit sce.com/safety.
