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Make your holidays safe!‎

The holidays are a time for joyous celebrations. But trees and lights ‎and decorations also call for careful consideration. Here are a few tips to help keep you and ‎your family safe when decorating this season:‎

Inspect your lights ‎
When putting up lights – both inside and outside your home – carefully inspect them. ‎Before you put them up, look for things like frayed wires, bare spots, and excessive kinking ‎or wear. Use only lighting listed by an approved testing laboratory, like UL.‎

Don’t overload outlets
Don’t link more than three light strands unless the directions say it’s safe to do so. Connect ‎strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into the outlet. Check the ‎wires periodically; they shouldn’t be warm to the touch. If they are, unplug them.‎

Never leave holiday lights on unattended!‎

Use only nonflammable decorations
All decorations should be nonflammable or flame-retardant and placed away from heat ‎vents/sources. If you use a metallic or artificial tree, make sure it’s flame retardant.‎

Don't block exits
Make sure trees and other holiday decorations don’t block an exterior doorway in your ‎home. If there’s a fire, time is of the essence when making your escape. A blocked doorway ‎puts you and your family at risk.‎

Never put wrapping paper in the fireplace
When you throw wrapping paper in the fireplace, it can quickly cause a very large fire and ‎throw off dangerous sparks and embers that could result in a chimney fire.‎

Never leave a burning candle unattended
Peppermint. Pine. Cookies. Many people love to burn candles with holiday scents at this ‎time of year. But any candle with a flame is dangerous so you may wish to consider using ‎battery-operated flameless candles. They can look and smell like real candles.‎

If you do use lit candles
If you do choose to burn “real” candles, make sure they’re in stable holders and placed ‎where they can’t be easily knocked over. Keep these candles at least 12 inches from ‎anything that can burn. And avoid using candles in bedrooms and other sleeping areas.‎

Never put lit candles on a tree
While our ancestors did this many years ago, it goes without saying that it’s VERY ‎dangerous. In fact, don’t even go near a Christmas tree with an open flame, including ‎candles, lighters, or matches.‎

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