NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

December 17, 1998

Celebrate the Holidays Safely

Holiday decorations can be beautiful and add to the festive atmosphere of the season, but they can be deadly, notes a North Dakota State University safety specialist.

"It's easy to be caught up in the excitement of the holidays and relax our concern for safety," says George Maher of the NDSU Extension Service. "But the holiday season calls for extra caution to keep memories happy and safe."

Maher offers the following suggestions for making the season safer:

• Check light strings carefully. Look for frayed wires, broken insulation, cracked light receptacles and damaged mounting clips. Use parallel-wired light strings that remain lighted if one or more bulbs are burned out. Series-wired strings of lights are more prone to overheating and are probably very old and should be discarded.
• Don't overload extension cords. No more than three strings of lights should be connected to a single extension cord. Too many strings of lights and extension cords plugged into one electrical outlet can result in an overload and fire.
• Place the bulbs on the tree so they do not touch the needles. Bulbs that are in contact with or too close to the needles will dry them out and may ignite them. Use tinsel made of plastic because metal foil tinsel conducts electricity. Apply paper and combustible ornaments very carefully on the tree, avoiding lights.
• Artificial trees remain fire resistant without watering, but older all-metal trees require extra caution. They can conduct electricity from worn-out lights. Use flood lights rather than strings of lights. Look for the Underwriters Laboratory tag when shopping for a new artificial tree or electrical decorations. Most artificial trees are made of plastic and should be fire resistant. Even so, apply lights carefully so that they are not too close to the needles.
• Finally, if you decorate with a real tree, select the freshest tree possible and maintain and water it carefully throughout the season. Look for soft, pliable needles and branches. Only a few needles should fall when a fresh tree is thumped firmly stump first on the ground. Cut about 1 inch of wood from the butt end, at a slight angle before inserting the tree in the stand to allow fresh plant cells to take up moisture. Keep the reservoir filled to prevent the tree from becoming waterlocked. A waterlocked tree cannot absorb moisture and will quickly dry out. Don't allow the reservoir to dry out, or you will have to recut the end of the trunk. Recutting will require taking the tree down, decorations and all. If the tree becomes dried out, remove this fire hazard from your home as soon as possible.

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Source: George Maher (701) 231-8288

Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629