Electrical Safety Tips from Sparta Fire Department

School is about to start!  Many children will be left alone to get themselves off in the morning.  Here are a few tips to help with electrical safety in the home.

Kids:

1. Never put anything into an electrical outlet.
2. Never take apart or try to fix electrical things.
3. Don’t have anything that has a power cord near water (bathtub, sink, puddle).
4. Always let an adult plug and unplug electrical things, (Computer, TV, games).
5. Always tell a adult about a appliance that is smoking, smells funny or sparking.

When you are outside:

1. Never climb a power pole.
2. Never fly a kite near power lines.
3. After a thunder storm, stay out of puddles.  There might be a fallen power line in it.

Parents:

1. Do not overload electrical outlets.
2. Make sure electrical cords are in good working condition.
3. Never “fix” a frayed power cord.  Throw it away.
4. Never splice together power cords to make a longer one.
5. Never run a power cord under a rug to “hide” it.
6. Have safety caps inserted in outlets when small children are around.
7. Always have a working fire extinguisher in the house.  Know how to use it.

Electrical fires kill 500 people a year.  By taking precautions and educating our children in fire safety, we can all make our homes safer.

Lt. Mary-Ann Meyer

Sparta Fire Department

mary-annmeyer@charter.net

chiefbolen@aol.com