Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District

The winter holidays are a time for celebration, and that means more cooking, home decorating, entertaining, and an increased risk of fire due to heating equipment.

The following the tips provided below will ensure that you and your family have a safe holiday season.

Use caution with holiday decorations and whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant or non-combustible materials.

Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.

Purchase only lights and electrical decorations bearing the name of an independent testing lab, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation and maintenance.

Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. Do not overload extension cords.

Check your strands of lights to determine the number of strands that may be connected. Connect no more than three strands of push-in bulbs and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs.

Always unplug lights before replacing light bulbs or fuses.

Don't mount lights in any way that can damage the cord's wire insulation (i.e., using clips, not nails).

Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.

Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

Source: NFPA