Be Safe & Green this Holiday with LED Christmas Lights

HolidayLEDs.com a new ecommerce company located in Michigan is offering $1.99 shipping on all orders of its energy-efficient and safe LED Christmas lights to promote awareness of holiday safety and the environmental benefits of LED holiday lighting.  LED string lights operate at 1 degree above ambient temperature and draw only .072 watts of electricity per bulb which eliminates many of the fire risks associate with traditional incandescent holiday lights and reduces holiday energy consumption.

The holiday season is right around the corner.  Common holiday activities such as travel, decorating, Christmas lights, and entertaining greatly increase the risk of accidents, fire, crime and injury.  According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), each year fires occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 individuals and cause over $930 million in property damage.   There is also a significant increase in home burglary, theft, and other crimes during this time of year.

Cooking, candles, holiday lights, and fireplaces all contribute to the increase in the incidence of fires during the holiday season.  All of these things are part of our holiday celebrations and culture and there is no reason to give them up but it’s important to be aware of the risks and take the necessary precautions.  Here are some facts from the National Fire Protection Association:

• 1 in every 22 reported home Christmas tree fires resulted in a death.

• 6% of holiday fires are started by children playing with fire.

• 16% of home Christmas tree structure fires are caused by holiday decorative lighting. 

• 12% of the home Christmas tree fires are caused by candles.

• The top three days for home fires were Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Christmas Eve.

• Christmas trees were the items first ignited in 300 reported U.S. home fires.

Holiday Decorating & Lighting

Holiday decorations and lighting are a common source of holiday fires.  Decorations, presents, trees, and other holiday materials are often made of highly flammable materials.  Combine this with the increased use of candles and electric decorative lighting and the risk of home fire increases greatly.  Here are some tips to make sure your holiday decorations are safe:

• Do not use lights with worn, frayed or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Replace inefficient, heat-producing incandescent lights with LED Christmas lights.

• Always unplug Christmas lights before leaving home or going to bed.

• Never use lit candles to decorate a tree, and make sure any lit candles in the room are placed well away from tree branches.

• To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples, not nails or tacks.

• Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.

• Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals.

• Keep live trees moist by watering daily. Do not purchase a tree that is dry or dropping needles.

• Safely dispose of the tree when it begins dropping needles.  Do not leave in a house or garage, or placed against the house.

Holiday Entertaining

During the holiday season we cook more, eat more, drink more, and entertain more.  The entertaining we do during the holidays, especially cooking creates additional fire risks.  Here are some suggestions to keep your holiday event safe:

• Don’t leave the kitchen unattended. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S.

• Douse cigarette butts with water before discarding.

• Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.

• Test your smoke alarms.

 Fireplaces

Pictures of families gathering around fireplaces decorated with stockings and greenery is a common holiday image.  We all love coming in from the cold and warming up next to a nice warm fire during the holiday season.  However, fireplaces are a common cause of home fires and they must be used safely.  Here as some tips for having a safe fire in your fireplace:

• Remove all greens, boughs, papers, decorations and other flammable materials from fireplace area.

• Check to see that the flue is open.

• Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace.

• Have your fireplace cleaned and inspected each year before use.

• Cover the fireplace opening with a screen to prevent popping coals from escaping.

• Completely extinguish the fire before you retire for the evening