Sentry Electric would like to say thanks to everyone who entered our Simplify Your Life contest. But now we have our winners.

Congratulations to:

William L. Kohl!

Jay Benson!

Maxine K. Sorensen!

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and remember keep it simple!

The National Fire Protection Association has released a new Public Service Announcement about Electrical Safety.

From the NFPA website:

"Electrical fires remain one of the top causes of home structure fires, according to a new report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The Home Electrical Fires report estimates that an electrical failure or malfunction factored in 45,000 to 55,000 home structure fires reported to the U.S. fire departments every year since 2000.

These fires, which account for 13 percent of total home structure fires, resulted in annual losses of 455 civilian deaths, 1,500 civilian injuries and $1.5 billion in direct property damage during 2007-2011. Any type of equipment that uses electrical power can have an electrical failure or malfunction. Electrical distribution or lighting equipment accounted for 48 percent of home electrical fires in 2007-2011. Arcing appears to account for most home electrical fires, outnumbering overheating by at least 2-to-1 and as much as 7-to-1."

They go on to offer some Electrical Safety Tips.

"NFPA is offering the following electrical safety tips: 

• Replace damaged or loose electrical cords.
• Avoid running extension cords across doorways or under carpets.
• In homes with small children, make sure your home has tamper-resistant (TR) receptacles.
• Consider having additional circuits or outlets added by a qualified electrician so you do not have to use extension cords.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for plugging an appliance into a receptacle outlet.
• Avoid overloading outlets. Plug only one high-wattage appliance into each receptacle outlet at a time.
• If outlets or switches feel warm, frequent problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuits, or flickering or dimming lights, call a qualified electrician.
• Place lamps on level surfaces, away from things that can burn and use bulbs that match the lamp's recommended wattage.
• Make sure your home has ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in the kitchen, bathroom(s), laundry, basement, and outdoor areas.
• Arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) should be installed in your home to protect electrical outlets.
• When you are buying, selling, or remodeling a home, have it inspected by a qualified electrician."

There are three types of smoke detectors. Photoelectric, Ionization and dual technology. The Photoelectric sense smoke and the ionization style sense heat. We recommend the dual technology style.

It doesn’t take a match to start a file. An extension cord can do it. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates about 4,000 injuries per year due to extension cords. These injuries include lacerations, contusions, fractures and burns. Even death can result from fires caused by using extension cords. Simply put, unlike hard wiring, extension cords are not designed to carry stronger currents. Whenever possible, hard wiring should be your number one priority. Not only will hard wiring carry stronger current, it will trip the fuse or circuit breaker if overloaded… Extension cords cannot duplicate this safety mechanism. Therefore, if you are using an extension cord to run a piece of equipment, a space heater or an appliance of any size that requires significant power, you are putting yourself and your Family and employee’s at risk.

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