Lighting Safety

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, every year during the holidays, the increase in fire-related deaths rises by 50%, the increase of fire-related injuries increases by 61%, and the increase in fire-related dollar loss increases by 43%. Many of these fires, of course, are caused by faulty holiday lighting.

There are many government agencies at many different levels (local, state, and national) that produce very good checklists and tips on how to reduce your risk of fire around the holidays. Unfortunately, because these documents are spread out all over the web, they are not always easy to find. We have taken on the task of seeking out some of the better publications for you here.

These documents come in PDF (portable document format) form. In order to read them, you will need to have an Adobe PDF reader. Most people will already have an Adobe reader installed on their computer and so you will need do nothing special. If for some reason you don't have a reader, you can download one directly from the Adobe site here. The reader is free. (Adobe is one of the most established and respected businesses on the web. Downloading their products is completely safe.)

The PDF reader will also give you the option to easily save or print the document for your convenience. 

• Holiday Decoration Safety. Provides advice in a very simple and concise manner on lighting, trees, candles, trimmings, etc.
• Christmas Safety Tips. A nice, short list of important reminders dealing mostly with trees and lighting.
• Christmas Safety Tips for Your Pets. Completely loveable, of course, but not always logical, pets and holiday decorations often come into conflict. This document provides some good ideas to keep in mind.
• Winter Fire Safety Tips for the Home. A good list of tips for the holidays, as well as the wintertime in general. More activity around the house during the holidays makes these tips especially useful.
• Holiday Safety Tips. And finally, while faulty lighting and fire hazards can cause problems around the holidays, there are other things to keep in mind. A few of these tips deal directly with lighting, but mostly they deal with  crime prevention around the holidays. We include it here as an important reminder.