Holiday Decoration Safety

• To prevent fires and conserve energy, Think Green: Before leaving each day unplug decorations, personal space heaters, coffee pots, battery chargers, desk lamps, and other non-essential energy consuming equipment.
• Avoid decorating more than 20 percent of doors and/or walls with combustible materials.
• Inspect electric cords periodically to detect frayed, pinched or damaged wire or plugs. Report damaged outlets to Physical Plant for repair. Discontinue use of all defective electrical equipment immediately.
• Decorative or scented candles with wicks intact are prohibited on campus.
• Cut Christmas trees, hay, straw and other dried vegetation are not allowed inside University buildings.
• Use electrical equipment that bears the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or an approved test laboratory label.
• Do not extend electrical power cords between door jambs, above acoustics ceiling tiles or beneath floor carpets.
• To prevent shock, do not place electrical equipment on wet surfaces.
• Have enough light in exit hallways and stairs to allow safe passage at all times.  Do not hand or place decorations in such a manner that exit signs or emergency lighting would be obscured.
• Wrapping stair banisters with lighting or decorative materials is prohibited.
• Do not hang any decorations or lighting from sprinkler heads.

If yo have any questions or comments, please contact the University Fire Marshal Michael Long at (502)-852-3473 or michael.long.1@louisville.edu.