Historic John Adams House to Meet Modern-Day Electrical Standards

Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) Donation Kicks Off May as National Electrical Safety Month

QUINCY, Mass., May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Electrical problems account for nearly 55,000 home fires every year causing more than 500 deaths, 1400 injuries, and $1.4 billion in property damage. Many of these electrical fires can be prevented. May is designated as National Electrical Safety Month to call attention to the hazards of out-dated wiring in older homes, and to educate homeowners about ways to prevent electrical fires.

To kick-off National Electrical Safety Month, ESFI announced its donation of products and services required to bring the four houses on the Adams National Historical Park property up to modern-day standards. One of the homes -- the John Adams Birthplace -- is the oldest remaining presidential birthplace.

"Each year Americans are using more appliances and electronics in their homes -- even historic properties such as the John Adams homes," says Brett Brenner, president of ESFI. "Many homes and electrical systems in the U.S. simply are being overburdened, leading to fires, deaths, injuries, and property damage."

The electrical systems in older homes were built before many of today's appliances and electronics were in daily use. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, half of the homes in the United States were built before 1973 -- before the advent of garage door openers or home computers. And, one-third of U.S. homes built before hairdryers or electric can openers were invented!

The historic Adams homes will be brought to today's standards with the installation of newer technology such as advanced circuit breakers known as Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs), which provide a higher level of fire protection. AFCIs detect dangerous conditions in a home's wiring and cut off power to the circuit before a fire develops. It's estimated that AFCIs can prevent more than 30,000 home fires annually.

During National Electrical Safety Month ESFI is providing the public with a checklist that will allow consumers to identify electrical dangers commonly found in each room of their homes. ESFI also is educating owners of older homes about the value of AFCIs, and is encouraging those living in older homes with children to install tamper resistant outlets (TROs). These devices look like normal electrical outlets, yet have a built-in shutter that prevents children from inserting foreign objects into the slots. TROs can prevent most of the 2,400 burns requiring emergency room visits that children sustain each year from electrical outlets.

For more information about National Electrical Safety Month, visit www.electrical-safety.org.

The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is dedicated exclusively to promoting electrical safety. Established in 1994, ESFI proudly sponsors National Electrical Safety Month each May and focuses on reducing electrically related deaths, injuries, and property loss. Funded solely by the industry, ESFI is the leading authority and advocate for electrical safety.