Deck The Halls Safely Nashville

11/29/2016 (Permalink)

Enjoy the holiday season safely!

Deck The Halls Safely Nashville!

Now that Thanksgiving and all of its glorious buffet goodness is stuffed behind us, many people are looking forward to the upcoming Christmas holiday season. You may have noticed that retailers started putting out decorations the day after Halloween, but we aren’t fans of skipping holidays! So as you head to the shed or garage where your light displays, Santa’s sleds, elves, red-nosed reindeers, frosty snowmen, oversized gift boxes and trees are stored, here are a few statistics and tips to keep in mind before you climb to the roof with thoughts of sugar plum fairies dancing around your head.

• Be sure to use lights that have been deemed safe by a reputable testing laboratory, like UL or ETL.
• When possible choose the cooler-burning "mini" lights over larger bulbs. The older style burns hotter and can potentially start fires.
• Use lights that have fuses in the plugs.
• Inspect each set of lights for damage. Return or throw out any set with cracked or broken sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections.
• Replace burned out bulbs promptly with bulbs of the same wattage.
• Don’t hang lights on a metal tree as it can become become charged with electricity and shock unsuspecting carolers. The tree can also short out the lights and cause a fire.
• Always use outdoor lights for outdoor displays. The packaging will note whether the lights can be used indoors, outdoors, or both.
• All outdoor electrical decorations should be plugged into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).
• Use extension cords properly. Outdoor cords can be used anywhere, but never use indoor extension cords outside.
• Secure outside lights with insulated holders (never tacks or nails) or run strings of lights through hooks.
• When you leave or go to bed at night, turn off your Christmas lights.

Thanks to Rob Brouhard, EMT with VeryWell blog for those tips.

The same concerns should be addressed when considering using candles as well. It is amazing how many injuries are reported during the holiday season due to decorations. Here are a few statistics according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International:

• In 2004-2008, an estimated 1,170 home fires per year began with decorations, excluding Christmas trees. These fires caused an annual average of 8 deaths, 54 injuries, and $19.1 million in property damage.
• Christmas tree and holiday decoration fires result in twice the injuries and 5 times more fatalities per fire than the average winter holiday fire.
• On average, 260 home fires begin with Christmas trees each year, resulting in 12 deaths, 24 injuries and $16.4 million in property damage.
• An additional 150 home fires per year begin with holiday lights and other decorative lighting, causing another 8 deaths, 16 injuries, and $8.9 million in property damage each year.
• Candles started 45% of home decoration fires.
• December is the peak time of year for candle fires.
• Christmas, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Day are the top 3 days of the year for candle fires.
• Roughly 5,800 people per year were treated in hospital emergency rooms for falls associated with holiday decorations.  More than half of these injuries were caused by falls from ladders or roofs while decorating outdoors.
• CPSC estimates that each year, about 4,000 injuries associated with electric extension cords are treated in hospital emergency rooms.  50% of these injuries involve fractures, lacerations, contusions, or sprains from people tripping over extension cords.  13% of these injuries involve children less than five years of age; electrical burns to the mouth accounted for 50% of the injuries to young children

We want everyone to enjoy the holiday season safely so follow these tips and light up your neighborhoods Nashville!