Thanksgiving is wonderful holiday that is full of homemade meals, good company, and lots of laughter. But in the midst of all the fun, there is a daunting reality: cooking fires are three times more likely to occur on Thanksgiving than any other holiday. Follow these fire prevention safety tips below to keep your holiday safe and fire free.
- Keep smoke detectors on every level of the house. Test your smoke detectors monthly and replace batteries at least twice a year.
- Make sure that a fire extinguisher is no more than 10 feet away from the oven. If you don’t know how to use a fire extinguisher, go to http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/using.html .
- Keep the cooking area free of clutter. Even though you have many meals to cook, don’t overload your oven top with too many pots and pans. Trying to cook all your dishes simultaneously could cause grease to accidentally spill on the range top and cause a fire.
- Never put a glass casserole or lid over the stove or burner: If the casserole dish or lid gets hot and explodes, it will send dangerous shards of glass everywhere.
- Don’t pour water on a grease fire: Pouring water on a grease fire can actually cause the fire to spread. If there is a stove top fire, turn off the burner immediately, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by sliding a lid on the pot or pan. Leave the lid on top until the pot or pan cools.
- Stay in the kitchen when food is cooking: Most fires on the kitchen occur when food is left unattended.
- Never wear loose clothing when cooking: Long, open sleeves could catch fire from a hot burner or gas flame. Make sure that you wear short, tight-fitting clothing and roll your sleeves up. If you have long hair, tie it back so it doesn’t ignite.
- Keep candles away from children and guests: Candles are part of the holiday season, and they should be used with caution. Candles shouldn’t be located where children won’t be tempted to play with them or where guests will accidentally brush against them. Make sure the candle holder is noncombustible and difficult to knock over to prevent a fire.
- Don’t hold your child in one arm and cook with another: This is a recipe for disaster.
- Keep kids away from the cooking area: Create a three foot “Kid Free Zone” around the stove to prevent pots and pans from being knocked over.