Expert gives advice on safe holiday lighting

An expert says there are a few steps you should take to significantly cut the risk of turning your holiday light displays into fire hazards. Electrician Tom Ramsey says it only takes a few more minutes to make sure a display is safe. Ramsey says “Plan what you want to do, how many decorations you’re going to put, how much equipment you need and things like that. The second thing is stretch those lights out and see the entire product. Plug them in and see if anything is burned out.” Legge says replace any lights that are burned out and look over the wires closely. He says “If you see any sign of wear or fraying or breaks in the cord or anything worn out, it’s just a better idea to discard them. Most of these lights today are really inexpensive — it’s really easy to replace them.” Ramsey says it’s also a good idea to avoid hanging lights near flammable materials, like drapes or in dry sprigs of evergreen.