It’s that time of year when we go up into our attics or down in our basements and bring out the decorations for the holidays.

 No matter how we celebrate special care should be taken because each year hospital emergency rooms treat about 12,000 people for falls, cuts, shocks, and burns due to accidents involving hanging Christmas lights and holiday decorations.

Christmas trees are the cause of about 300 fires annually, resulting in about $7 million dollars in property damage and loss. In addition there are more than 15,000 candle related fires each year resulting in about $307 million in property loss. Following are some safety tips to follow:

 Trees:

  • When purchasing a artificial tree make sure it says “Fire Resistant”
  • When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fress tree is green and the needles are hard to pull off.
  • When setting up a tree at home , place it away from the fireplace and radiators.
  • Use flame resistant materials to trim the tree and make sure all materials have nonleaded metals. Leaded materials can be hazertous to children if ingested.
  • Avoid breakable glass decorations if small children are in the house.

Lights:

  • Use indoor and outdoor lights that have been tested for safety, such as UL or ETL/ITSNA.
  • Check each set of lights for broken or cracked sockets, frayed wires and throw out damaged sets.
  • NEVER USE ELECTRIC LIGHTS ON A METALLIC TREE because you could become electrocuted.
  • Turn off all holiday lights when you go to bed.

 Candles:

  •  Keep burning candles within sight
  • Always keep burning candles away from children or pets. If you have a cat who jumps avoid lighting the candles.
  • Extingquish all candles before you go to bed.