With the holiday season approaching, FirstEnergy Corp. is urging customers to minimize electrical hazards and fire risks by adhering to safety guidelines when installing holiday lights and decorations.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that U.S. fire departments respond to an average of 835 home structure fires annually, originating from holiday decorations, excluding Christmas trees. These incidents result in approximately $14 million in direct property damage each year.
Candy Webb, Manager of Public Safety at FirstEnergy, stated: “By being mindful and taking a few simple precautions around your home, you can help avoid any hazards and focus on your time with friends and family during the holidays. Please make it a point to check your lights and decorations every so often to keep everything running safely and smoothly.”
FirstEnergy offers several tips for safe holiday decorating:
- Be aware of power line locations when decorating outdoors. Maintain a distance of at least 10 feet from power lines with tools, ladders, lights, and yourself.
- Avoid placing decorations near power lines or electrical equipment like pad-mounted transformers. If contact occurs, call 911 immediately.
- Use Underwriters Laboratory-approved lights; red UL marks are for indoor/outdoor use, green for indoor only.
- Inspect lights before use; replace those that are worn or damaged.
- Use clips instead of nails or tacks to hang lights safely.
- Plug outdoor lights into ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to prevent electric shock.
- Utilize heavy-duty extension cords designed for outdoor use without overloading them.
- Keep indoor lights away from flammable items such as curtains and furniture.
- Use timers or turn off lights when not at home or before sleeping.
- Keep candles away from decorations; extinguish them when leaving or going to bed. NFPA notes over a third of decoration fires start with candles.
- Water live trees daily to maintain hydration.
- Ensure smoke detectors are installed throughout the home and functioning properly.
For more information on staying safe around electricity, visit FirstEnergy's "Stop. Look. Live." campaign at www.firstenergycorp.com/publicsafety.
FirstEnergy also provides advice on energy-efficient holiday decorating through its "Light Up the Holidays with Energy Efficiency" initiative.
The company emphasizes integrity, safety, reliability, and operational excellence. Serving over six million customers across several states including Ohio and Pennsylvania, FirstEnergy operates one of the largest investor-owned electric systems in the nation with about 24,000 miles of transmission lines connecting the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.
For further inquiries:
News Media Contact: Will Boye at (301) 790-6420
Investor Contact: Gina Caskey at (330) 384-3859