Holiday decorations require safety

Local News

Discussion

November 26, 2009

BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL The Commercial-News Thu Nov 26, 2009, 04:21 PM CST

DANVILLE — The paper Christmas decorations children bring home during the holidays are cute, but also potentially dangerous.

For some, the weekend after Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Christmas decorating season, as colorful lights, inflatable yard scenes and other interior and exterior items dot the landscape.

Danville Assistant Fire Chief John High said putting potentially flammable items like paper decorations too close to an ignition source are one of the mistakes people make when it comes to decorating for the holidays.

“Kids make decorations at school and bring them home and parents get them too close to a light on a tree,” he said.

Luckily, Danville firefighters don’t see a large influx of actual fire scenes during the holiday season as a result of decorations. High said many times firefighters are called to a home because of overloaded circuitry producing a hot smell that residents can’t pinpoint.

He said many of the older homes in Danville don’t have the systems to handle excessive decorations.

“You plug too many into a circuit and you overheat it,” he said.

In fact, High said residents would be surprised at how many homes still use the older screw-in fuses.

“You don’t think about those things until something happens,” he said.

According to the Nation Fire Protection Association, improper handling of Christmas trees result in as many as 300 home fires in the U.S. each year, causing 14 deaths, 21 injuries and almost $17 million in damages.

Almost half of the tree fires are caused by an electrical problem or malfunction. With living trees, residents are warned to continually check for fresh green needles and make sure the tree stand is filled with up to a quart of water per one inch of trunk diameter.

The state fire marshal warns against connecting more than three push-in light strings or more than 50 screw-in bulbs. It is also advised not to plug too many decorations onto one extension cord.

Text Only

Local News

The very best gift
Lennell Dumas of Danville sorted through the stack of Valentine’s Day cards on his lap, a smile spreading across his face. “This is more than when I went to school,” he said jokingly.

February 14, 2012 1 Photo
Group restricts Jackson parking
Only one resident voiced concerns about prohibiting parking on Jackson Street, but aldermen said they’ve also received phone calls from other concerned residents and from parents who pick up children at Edison Elementary and North Ridge Middle schools.

February 14, 2012
County delays vote on farm
The decision to approve the permit for the second wind farm in Vermilion County was put on hold at Tuesday’s Vermilion County Board meeting.

February 14, 2012
Final report delayed on Vermilion Manor
No immediate decisions will be coming in regard to the future of Vermilion Manor Nursing Home.

February 14, 2012
Middle school students work to battle bullying
North Ridge Middle School seventh-grader Kevin Mallady promises that Thursday night’s performance of The Bully Project will be anything but “cheesy.”

February 14, 2012
Oakwood sets up TIF registry
Village trustees continued their drive Monday to create a second tax increment financing district.

February 14, 2012
Veedersburg considers another grant to improve downtown
Town council members heard Tuesday from Anita Carpenter about the Main Street revitalization grant to improve a section or block of infrastructure.

February 14, 2012
Justin Bieber makes dream come true for child with brain tumor
In August, Avalanna Routh "married" teen singing sensation Justin Bieber. This week, she finally got to meet her husband.

February 14, 2012 1 Photo
Viral video: Olympic swimmer wins gold, then proposes
How do you top the euphoria of winning a gold medal in a swim meet? Propose to your girlfriend, of course.

February 14, 2012 1 Photo
Class organizes fundraiser
February 14, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Discussion

Holiday decorations require safety

Site Map

Contact Us