BURRILLVILLE – With the holiday season upon us, a lot of little kids will watch adults as they rearrange their homes and apartments in order to put up decorations and lights for a festive ambiance. Added plugs and cords are utilized in order to accommodate decorations.
This week’s Sunday feature is part of a, “Safe Kitchen, Safe You,” coloring cartoon series that puts the focus on preventing electrical shock and burns, keeping kids in mind. It conveys the importance of keeping little kids away from electrical outlets in the wall, but also applies to surge protectors and extension cords; all of which, if not being used as part of your home or apartment holiday decorative lighting, should be capped and kept away from children.
Never put any extension cords under carpets or area rugs, and never overload electrical outlets and surge protectors with plug-ins. It’s just not safe. It can cause an electrical fire. Make sure that your kids are taught not to play with electrical cords and outlets. Check all extension cords for cracks and exposed wires, and check plug inserts for damage and corrosion before use. If there is the slightest damage to an extension cord, discard and purchase a new one. Adding plug protectors on electrical outlets and surge protectors helps to keep kids safer if they do decide to become curious and explore the new holiday lights displayed over the coming weeks.
Jim Weicherding is a Burrillville resident, and the founder and creator of an award-winning traffic safety effort Seasons of Safety. Weicherding contributes kids’ coloring cartoons, which can be printed and used to help parents discuss safety issues with their children. He has a long list of police officers and firefighters in his family and has worked with law enforcement and firefighters in a creative public safety capacity for more than two decades. Jim was recently appointed to Children Across America as their events and creative director for their child safety programs initiatives and outreach kids safety campaigns nationwide.
