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  1. Your safety
  2. Outdoor safety tips
  3. Decorate safely for the holidays

Decorate safely for the holidays

For millions of people every year, the holiday season comes with traditions of festive lights and decorations, extraordinary foods and lavish parties. Unfortunately, time-honored traditions can easily end in tragedy if precautions are not taken. Make a point to take care of yourself and those you love by taking time to decorate safely - without skipping any safety steps.

Shawn Miller knows firsthand how important every safety step is and how quickly this holiday activity can turn tragic. Each year, he would help his mother decorate her yard, and each year, the display grew as she added another area. One tragic year, they decided to light the large trees in the far front. As Shawn tossed lights up into the trees, they came in contact with overhead power lines and he received a high voltage shock. He was hospitalized for months, went through numerous surgeries and lost his dominant hand.

Your electric cooperatives urges everyone to follow these precautions:

  • When decorating outside, look up and look out. Never throw holiday lights or other decorations into trees near power lines.

  • Be especially careful when working near power lines attached to your house. Keep ladders, equipment and yourself at least 10 feet from power lines.

  • Use only lights, cords, animated displays and decorations rated for outdoor use. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use them. Use plastic or insulated hooks to hang lights.

  • Cords should be plugged into outlets equipped with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs). Use a portable GFCI if your outdoor outlets are not equipped with them. GFCI protection is very important outdoors, where weather conditions can create dangerous electrical situations.

  • Do not staple or nail through light strings or electrical cords, and do not attach anything to utility poles.

  • Outdoor holiday lights are for seasonal use, up to 90 days. Bring them inside after the holidays.

  • Avoid decorating outside on windy or wet days. Choose to decorate in favorable weather conditions and during daylight hours.

We hope your season will be full of happy and safe traditions.

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Associated Electric Cooperative Inc.

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 754
Springfield, MO 65801-0754

Tel. 417-881-1204
Email. membersfirst@aeci.org

About Us

Even though your electric cooperative is locally owned and committed to your local community, we are part of something bigger too. We are a network of 51 distribution cooperatives in Missouri, southern Iowa and northeastern Oklahoma, serving 935,000 member homes, farms and businesses. We receive power generation through six regional Generation and Transmission (G&T) cooperatives and one collective G&T, Associated Electric Cooperative.

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©2022 Members First. Cooperatives put members first every day.

  • It's all you
    • Activities for kids
    • Reliable electricity
    • For the good of all
    • Ownership
    • Cooperative principles
    • New members
    • Proud to sponsor kids' activities
    • Co-op month
  • Your money
    • Solar energy information
    • Penny power
    • Capital credits
    • Beneficial electrification
    • Save energy, save money
    • Solar 101
    • Member contests
  • Your safety
    • Indoor electrical safety
    • Outdoor electrical safety
    • Safety for kids
    • Outage safety
    • Power line hazards and cars
  • Your community
    • Local control
    • Personal service
    • Your community
    • Thank a lineworker
  • Balanced generation
    • Epic Failure a Cautionary Tale
    • Diverse energy mix
    • Reliable power
    • Balanced generation summary
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • About us