SAFETY TIPS FOR THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
More fires start in the kitchen than anywhere else in the home. And on Thanksgiving, in particular, there are three times as many house fires than any other day of the year, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. “We’ve had fires where people took the turkey right out of the freezer, put it right in the oven, forgot to take the plastic off and next thing you know, you have an oven fire,” McGill said. McGill and his five firefighters feasted today, Thanksgiving eve, a tradition for his crew, because Thursday is expected to be one of their busiest days. Below, they shared some safety tips for the holiday:
Thanksgiving Fire Safety Tips:
- Don’t wear loose-fitting clothing around open flames.
- Don’t leave your food unattended on the stove or in the oven. McGill said to make sure a person is always in the kitchen watching the food that’s cooking. “You should have a zone, around anything around the stove, within like a 3-feet range for children,” he said.
- If deep-frying turkey, do it outside.
- Never put water on a grease fire.
- Store fire extinguishers in plain sight, near an exit – not under the sink, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Because fires can double every five to 10 seconds – and can consume a room in just one minute – call 911 first.
– Source: abcnews.go.com For most, the kitchen is the heart of the home, especially during the holidays. From testing family recipes to decorating cakes and cookies, everyone enjoys being part of the preparations.
Keeping fire safety top of mind in the kitchen during this joyous but hectic time is important, especially when there’s a lot of activity and people at home. As you start preparing your holiday schedule and organizing that large family feast, remember, by following a few simple safety tips you can enjoy time with your loved ones and keep yourself and your family safer from fire.
Thanksgiving by the numbers
- Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.
- In 2014, nearly four times as many home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving as on a typical day.
- In 2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,730 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving, the peak day for such fires.
- Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.
- Cooking equipment was involved in almost half (48%) of all reported home fires and civilian and tied with heating equipment for the second leading cause of home fire deaths.
Source: NFPA’s Fire Analysis & Research Division Need your extinguisher inspected? Monroe Extinguisher is happy to help. You can bring your extinguisher to our location, or contact us to schedule an extinguisher inspection.