Safety
AROUND YOUR HOME

Roger Stegeman

As the harvest season leaves more and more fields bare and a chill is in the air, I'm reminded that the countdown will soon begin on the number of shopping days until Christmas. Every year, however, the holidays are marred by tragedies caused by electrical fires associated with Christmas lights or other energized holiday decorations.

One thing you must take into account when using an electrical decoration is that the amount of electricity flowing in any wire is measured in amperes, more commonly called current. Current is measured as the rate of flow per second in electricity. At any time when current is flowing, the byproduct will be heat. As more current flows, the hotter a wire or device will become. If the heat is great enough and it is in close proximity to something that will ignite, the result could be a fire.

Take a little time to plan. Safe placement of all decorations is important in the prevention of a tragedy. A decoration might look great in a window, but what about the drapes behind that decoration? Would they ignite readily? Is the decoration designed for indoor use or outdoor use? When a decoration is used outdoors, the surrounding air can dissipate a lot more heat as compared to placing it next to a wall indoors.

Consider the times you want to have the decorations illuminated. Do they need to be on all night? Christmas lights look great to a motorist passing by your home. But how many people will be coming by at 3 a.m.? If a fire were to start at that time, what would you be doing? Most people would be asleep in bed.

A fire could get a good start before you would even be aware of it. Do the lights/decorations need to be on when you are away from home? If a fire starts in your home, are you prepared? Do you have a fire extinguisher? Does every member of the family know where it is? Is it in a condition that it can be used?

A periodic inspection of your fire extinguisher assures you that it can be used whenever you need it.

Now we have finished all the planning for placement, we know when we want to "light up" our display, and we have checked our fire extinguisher and made sure that it is in working order. We are ready to go shopping for a Christmas tree. There is nothing quite like the smell of pine in a home during the holidays. A "real" tree brings with it unique dangers as compared to an artificial tree.

As time passes after a tree has been cut, it will turn brown. This represents the loss of moisture in the tree, and it becomes dry and will ignite quite easily.

When selecting a tree a simple test can help. As the time passes since the tree has been cut, more of its needles will fall off. Lift the tree slightly and let the cut end fall to the ground. Look at the needles that have fallen to the ground. Is it an excessive amount? A comparison between several trees may establish how many loose needles are too many.

After the tree has been selected and you have brought it home, the bottom two inches should be cut off. It is nature's way for the tree to defend itself by making the wood at a wound harden. It will no longer accept water.

After the cut has been made, the tree needs to be placed in a stand that will provide it with a constant source of water. This will make the tree last longer during the holiday season, and the moisture content will raise the temperature at which the tree will ignite. Make sure that you check the stand on a regular basis and refill the receptacle with water when it is low.

The holidays can be a wonderful time that brings loved ones together. Don't let a tragedy such as a house fire cause you to be much closer to relatives by using their home as a temporary shelter while you look for another dwelling.

Roger Stegeman is manager of safety for the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives. You can write to him in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: (217) 529-5561

14 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING DECEMBER 1998