APS serves approximately 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering reliable, affordable and clean energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of Palo Verde Generating Station, one of the nation’s largest producers of carbon-free electricity, and with one of the country’s most substantial renewable energy portfolios, APS’s current energy mix is 51% clean. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).
Header
APS Encourages Safety while Decorating for the Holidays
Thanksgiving is just about here, and that means many Arizonans will soon be stringing up lights and putting out holiday inflatables. A festive display brings holiday cheer, but it can also bring danger. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports nearly 15,000 people in a recent holiday season were treated in hospital emergency rooms for holiday decorating-related injuries. That’s 160 injuries every day during the holiday season! It’s not just injuries that occur outdoors; inside there are more than 1,000 candle-related fires each season and hundreds of fires started with Christmas trees. The National Fire Protection Association finds overloaded outlets and faulty wiring were factors in one-third of Christmas tree fires.
APS offers these safety tips to avoid holiday decorating dangers:
- When stringing lights outside, use a wooden or fiberglass ladder, and be sure to stay away from overhead power lines. Only use your ladder on level ground. Don’t use the top rung and don’t lean away to hang decorations.
- Avoid stringing any outdoor lighting or electrical cords where water from irrigation or sprinklers may be present.
- Check for labels showing the lights have been certified for outdoor use. Discard light sets with broken or cracked sockets, frayed wires or loose connections.
- Use more than one circuit to avoid overloading household wiring. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for the number of light strings that can be connected safely.
- Consider using LED holiday lights which run much cooler than traditional lights, are less of a fire risk and use much less energy.
- Turn off holiday lights before going to bed or leaving the house.
It’s also important to stay safe inside the house:
- If using a live holiday tree, make sure to add water often to the tree stand. If the tree is losing a lot of needles or the needles become brittle, do not turn on decorative electrical lights. The heat from the lights could cause a fire.
- Place burning candles away from flammable items and blow them out when leaving the room.
For more ways to stay safe around electricity, visit aps.com/safety.
Related stories
2/12/2024
Keep Your Sweetheart Safe: Prevent Valentine’s Day Balloon Hazards
11/30/2023
APS Is Ready for Winter Storms; Offers Ways Customers Can Prepare
11/20/2023
Stay Safe While Decorating for the Holidays
Stay up to date with our social channels
Newsroom
View up to date news, articles and stories related to APS in the community.
Copyright © 2024 APS. All rights reserved.
