Carmel firefighter offers advice on how to put up holiday lights safely

Carmel, Indiana – Your holiday light displays are being monitored for safety by a Carmel firefighter.

When it comes to making sure your displays are as secure as possible, according to Tim Griffin, everything starts before the lights are turned on.

Griffin advises testing your lights when you take them out of storage to make sure they are all functioning properly.

Additionally, with time, wires may grow brittle, break, and become exposed. Uncovered wires may present a fire risk.

Griffin noted that it’s equally crucial to avoid overloading extension cords.

No more than three light cords should be connected to an extension cord, according to the “rule of threes,” he said.

Because LED uses a lower voltage, it is also a superior option for lighting.

It’s time to replace your cords with fresh ones if they are blowing fuses.

Additionally, he advises unplugging the lights at night before going to bed, even if they look great at night.

“I would shut those lights off. That’s something I do even with the dryer, I don’t like to leave with it running because we know those things can happen. I’d rather see someone air on the side of caution than see their holidays end in tragedy,” Griffin said.

Additionally, he advises that if you have lights on a live tree, you should make sure to keep the tree well-watered because these can quickly catch fire if the tree is exposed to something like a shorted cable.

As a reminder, he claims that setting up holiday decorations is the ideal time to make sure the smoke alarms are in working order.