Thanksgiving and Fire Safety

11/23/2020 (Permalink)

Thanksgiving and Fire Safety

Thanksgiving is a special holiday that celebrates good food, family, fun and fires.  Thanksgiving Day is the number #1 day in which home fires occur and 87% of those fires are cooking related.  In order to make your Thanksgiving fire free, safety must be a priority.  Here are several key tips you can easily implement.

• Make sure your cooking apparatuses are clean. Clean the eyes of the stove to remove potential debris that could catch fire.  Clean the oven to remove any spill overs which could become flammable.
• Make sure cooking apparatuses are in good working order. Make sure there are no electrical shorts or frayed wires.
• Never plug cooking devices into an extension cord
• Never leave food unattended
• Be vigilant- when cooking don’t become distracted where you are not closely watching items that are cooking. An engaging conversation, either on the phone or in person can cause a distraction that could allow a situation to flare up which could have been prevented.
• Keep flammable items away from cooking surfaces.
• Make sure electrical cords are outside of the reach of children and pets.
• Keep pets outside of the cooking area
• Never overload outlets
• Deep fry turkeys outside and sufficiently away from the home.
• Make sure turkey is thawed all the way prior to placing it in the oil to prevent splatter which could cause burn injury.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in close proximity to your cooking area.