Safety First

Family Safety

It wouldn't be the holidays without colorful lights and cheery decorations. Don't let an electrical fire snuff your holiday cheer. Take a few simple precautions for decking the halls with safety in mind this season:

• The only lights you should use inside or outside are those with a label that says they've been certified by a national testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratory.

• Check your lights—even brand new ones that you just took out of the box—for damaged sockets, frayed or bare wires and loose connections. If you find any of those problems, return the lights to the store or throw them away.

• Attach no more than three strands of lights together. Plug no more than three sets into one extension cord. Any more is a fire hazard.

• Keep electric lights off of your metallic tree. The tree can actually become charged with electricity from faulty lights; anyone touching a branch could be electrocuted.

• Use hooks or insulated staples, not nails or tacks, to hold strands of lights in place outdoors.

• If your outdoor electrical outlets are not fitted with ground-fault circuit interrupters, call an electrician to convert them before you plug in holiday lights.