Answers to ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Safety photo:

1.      Unattended fire – never leave a fire unattended

2.      Stockings near the fire – keep combustible material away from fires

3.      Sharp hooks – don’t use sharp items to decorate if small children will be near them or attracted to them

4.      Missing fireplace screen – no grate or screen to shield from ashes, embers, and heat

5.      Dry Christmas tree – dry trees are fire hazards

6.      Broken lights – malfunctioning lights pose a fire and electrical hazard

7.      Obstructed doorway – large items (rocking horse) is blocking a fire escape pathway

8.      Frayed cord – electrical hazard (note: no more than 3 strands of standard size lights on each surge protector)

9.      Toxic snow – artificial snow is toxic and should not be left out in the reach of small children or pets

10.  Unextinguished lights – Christmas lights left on extended periods of time

11.  Candles near garland – candles left buring near combustible material (wreaths and garland)

12.  Electric lights on metallic tree – electrical shock hazard

I was born in Danville, KY and lived there until 2003. I moved to Lexington in 2003 after graduating Centre College where I earned my BS in Biology. I then attended the College of Public Health (’06) here at UK to earn my Master’s of Public Health (MPH).  I began working at UK in 2005 for the College of Pharmacy and last year (2013) started working for the College of Arts & Sciences.  I have been married for almost 9 years to my wife Marianne and we live here in Lexington. We have a son, Thomas, who is 4 years old.  We also have a dog named Sophie, and two cats, Bell and Alley.

1. What do you do in your spare time? Spending time with family is my number one spare time activity.  We love to travel and take our little boy to zoos and museums.  We all also love going to Disney World.