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| State Fire Marshall Urges Holiday Safety |
The result of a deep-fried turkey can be pure satisfaction, or a fire. The Office of the State Fire Marshal is warning folks to be careful when cooking the Thanksgiving bird, because cooking fires are three times as likely to happen on Thanksgiving as any other day of the year.
State Fire Marshal Dave DeFraties says other risks during the holiday season include putting up lights on the house when it's wet or icy, a dry Christmas tree too close to electrical outlets or a fireplace, and overloaded extension cords.
The fire marshal urges consumers to:
* Regularly check your Christmas tree for fresh, green needles. Trees that have dried out over several weeks burn faster than those that are fresh and well-watered. Keep your tree watered at all times.
* Make sure your tree stand holds at least one gallon of water. As a general rule, stands should provide one quart of water per inch of trunk diameter.
* Keep your tree at least three feet from fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, heating vents and other sources of heat. Don’t place the tree where it blocks an exit.
* Look for the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) mark on light strings, electrical decorations and extension cords. The UL mark means that UL engineers have tested representative samples of the product for foreseeable safety hazards such as fire and electric shock.
* Ensure outside lights, decorations and extension cords are rated for outside use. Lights intended for indoor-only use bear green holographic UL marks. Light strings intended for indoor and outdoor use bear red holographic UL marks.
* Carefully inspect each electrical decoration--new or old--before plugging it in. Cracked sockets, frayed, bare or loose wires can cause a serious electric shock or start a fire. Replace damaged items with new, UL-listed decorations.
* Don't use staples or nails to hang light strings. Instead, purchase plastic hooks or clips designed for hanging light strings.
* Check packaging to determine the maximum number of strings that may be connected or use this rule of thumb: Connect a maximum of three midget (push-in bulbs) light strings or up to 50 bulbs of light strings with the screw-in bulbs (C7s and C9s).
* Don't overload extension cords by plugging in too many decorations.
* Turn off all electrical lights and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.
* Read and follow the manufacturer's instructions for electrical decorations.
On average each year, live and artificial Christmas trees are involved in 300 home fires in the U.S., resulting in 14 fatalities, 21 injuries and $16.8 million in property damage, according to the National Fire Protection Agency.
More information can be found by CLICKING HERE.
(Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 11 23 09 by Newsroom |
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