Christmas Lighting Safety Tips From Renton Fire & Emergency Services

The holiday season is here and many Renton homes will soon sport hundreds of lights.

Renton Fire and Emergency Services offered the following safety tips for families who plan to deck their halls with decorative lights.

• Check all electrical wiring and cords for deterioration, damage, splices, bare wires, broken or cracked light sockets, and loose connections. 

• Discard unsafe equipment immediately.

• Do not overload extension cords or electrical receptacles. 

• Never run extension or electrical cords under carpets or doors, through walls or across heavily traveled areas.

• When affixing lights, electrical cords or electrical decorations, do not use a staple or other method that might damage or penetrate the electrical wiring.

• Only use electrical lighting (indoor or outdoor) and electrical decorations that are listed by Underwriter’s Laboratory “UL” or other approved testing agencies 

• Follow the manufacturer’s guideline for stringing light sets together.

• As a general rule UL recommends using no more than three standard-size sets of lights together.

• Turn off holiday lights when leaving the house or before going to sleep.