FirstEnergy offers tips to help keep people
of all ages safe from electrical hazards
AKRON,
Ohio, Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With the
holiday season fast approaching, FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) is
reminding customers to reduce electrical hazards and potential fire
risks at home by following important safety tips when installing
holiday lights and decorations.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA),
U.S. fire departments respond to an average of 835 home structure
fires per year that begin with holiday decorations, not including
Christmas trees. These fires cause an annual average of
$14 million in direct property
damage.
Candy Webb, Manager of Public
Safety at FirstEnergy: "By being mindful and taking a few
simple precautions around your home, you can help avoid any hazards
and focus on your time with friends and family during the holidays.
Please make it a point to check your lights and decorations every
so often to keep everything running safely and smoothly."
To help ensure the holidays are enjoyed safely, keep the
following tips in mind:
- When decorating outdoors, know where all power lines are
located before you start. Contact with power lines can result in
serious injury or death. Keep your tools, ladder, lights and self
at least 10 feet away from power lines. Be sure materials are
completely within your control to maintain a safe distance.
- Never position decorations near power lines or electrical
equipment, like pad-mounted transformers. If a decoration or other
object contacts electrical equipment, do NOT attempt to remove it.
Call 911 immediately.
- Use lights that have been approved by Underwriters Laboratory,
indicating they have been inspected for potential safety hazards.
Look for the "UL" mark on the tag. Red UL marks indicate the lights
are safe for indoor/outdoor use, and green UL marks indicate the
lights are only safe for indoor use.
- Inspect your lights before using them. Replace any that are
worn, broken or have damaged sockets.
- Do not hammer tacks or nails into the electrical cord when
hanging lights. Instead, use clips to safely attach lights to the
house.
- Plug outdoor lights and inflatables into ground fault circuit
interrupters, or GFCIs, to help prevent electric shock.
- Use heavy-duty extension cords, and only use cords outdoors if
they are designated for outdoor use. Avoid overloading extension
cords by using no more than three sets of standard lights per
cord.
- Keep indoor lights away from curtains, furniture, carpet and
any other flammable items.
- Use a timer or turn off lights before going to bed or if you
are away from home.
- Keep candles away from decorations. Blow them out when you
leave or go to bed. More than a third of home decoration fires are
started by candles, according to the NFPA.
- Water live trees daily to ensure they stay hydrated.
- Install smoke detectors throughout your home and make sure they
are working properly.
Visit www.firstenergycorp.com/publicsafety to learn about
FirstEnergy's "Stop. Look. Live." safety campaign to educate
the public about staying safe around electricity and near power
lines and equipment.
FirstEnergy also offers tips to help customers use energy wisely
while decorating this holiday season: Light Up the Holidays with
Energy Efficiency
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, West Virginia,
Maryland and New York. The company's transmission
subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission
lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow
FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on
X @FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.