Particularly around the holidays, the kitchen is considered by most to be the center of the house. Everyone takes pleasure in helping with the preparations, whether it's testing out family recipes or decorating cakes and sweets.
During this happy yet busy time of year, it's crucial to remember fire safety in the kitchen, particularly when there are plenty of people and activity going on. Remember that you can enjoy time with your loved ones and protect yourself and your family from fire by adhering to a few basic safety precautions when you start planning your holiday itinerary and setting up that big family feast.
Top Holiday Safety Tips
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food.
- Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.
- Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three feet away.
- Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
- Keep knives out of the reach of children.
- Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
- Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
- Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle.
- Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.
Thanksgiving fire facts
- Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires with more than three times the daily average for such incidents. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve ranked second and third, with both having nearly twice the daily average.
- Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.
- Cooking causes half (53%) of all reported home fires and nearly two of every five (38%) home fire injuries, and it is a leading cause of home fire deaths (18%).
- On Thanksgiving day alone, an estimated 1,160 home cooking fires were reported to U.S fire departments in 2021, reflecting a 297 percent increase over the daily average.
Source: NFPA Research Division
The use of turkey fryers
Turkey fryers that use cooking oil are not safe. These fryers use large amounts of oil at high temperatures, which can cause devastating burns. If you want a fried turkey for your Thanksgiving meal, purchase it from a grocery store, restaurant or buy a fryer that does not use oil.
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