Nick McWilliams reporting – When it comes to holiday lighting, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is reminding all it’s never too late to add extra safety in the mix.
Every year, one of every three Christmas tree fires is caused due to faulty wiring or other electrical issues.
Fires involving Christmas trees are more than four times more likely to result in a fatality than other fires.
To prevent potentially hazardous amounts of heat around artificial or real trees, the fire marshal advises using LEDs as opposed to traditional incandescent bulbs.
The only bulbs or light strands that should be purchased are ones with a nationally recognized testing laboratory, most commonly being Underwriters Laboratories, or UL.
Outdoor lights should only be utilized with a ground-fault interrupter type of outlet.
When going to bed or leaving the house, turn off all lights and extinguish any flames.
Live Christmas trees should be kept watered, and thrown out when needles begin to fall off or become dry and brittle.
As always, homeowners are urged to ensure their smoke detectors are working properly and have new batteries for the holiday season, and any devices older than 10 years should be replaced.
For more on fire safety, visit www.com.ohio.gov/fire.
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