Friday, November 6, 2009

Thanksgiving Fire Safety Tips


Thanksgiving Day has more than double the number of home cooking fires than an average day according to the U.S. Fire Administration. In fact, each year more than 4,000 fires occur on Thanksgiving Day. here are some facts outlined by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and the National Fire Incident Reporting System NFIRS:


"Thanksgiving Day fires in residential structures cause more property damage and claim more lives than residential structure fires on other days. Surprisingly, fire injuries in residences decrease on Thanksgiving Day.
"Cooking is by far the leading cause of residential structure fires on Thanksgiving Day (42%), nearly double that of a normal day."
"The leading factor in the ignition of residential cooking fires is food left unattended."


It’s so easy to become distracted and lose track of what’s happening in the kitchen when you are enjoying spending time with family and friends. But think of how distracting a house fire will be to your evening if enough attention is not paid to your kitchen, children and pets. 


Here are some tips that will help you 
mitigate, prepare and respond to fire hazards.
 

>> Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets. Guest, tails and children should not be able to easily access the candles. The candle holder should be completely noncombustible and difficult to knock over. The candle should not have combustible/flammable decorations around it.
>>Get a fire extinguisher. Read the instructions and place it away from where open flames could impair access yet close enough for quick access.
>> Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove or make sure an adult supervises the cooking.
>> Cook on the back burners when possible and turn pot handles in so they don't extend over the edge of the stove.
>> If you are simmering, baking, boiling, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that the stove or oven is on.
>> Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.

>> Never use a wet oven mitt, as it presents a scald danger if the moisture in the mitt is heated.
>> Keep kids away from cooking areas by enforcing a "kid-free zone" of three feet around the stove.
>> Keep pets away from cooking areas by enforcing a "pet-free zone" of three feet around the stove.
>> Keep anything that can catch on fire—pot holders, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains—away from your stove top and oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
>> Always keep an oven mitt and lid nearby when you're cooking. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don't remove the lid until it is completely cool. DO NOT walk about the residence or kitchen with the burning pan "to bring it outside" as travel will add oxygen to the fire and risking to spark other items on your way out.
>> For more tips on extinguishing grease fires see our previous post Baking Soda & Grease Kitchen Fires 
>> If you must use a turkey fryer, make sure it is outdoors and in an open area away from all walls, fences or other structures that could catch on fire and away from moisture that can cause serious burns from steam or splattering hot oil. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. "The deep fryer can easily lead to an immediate burst of flames when a frozen turkey is dropped into hot oil. The fryer can tip over and cause a fire, or the steam from the frozen turkey could expand, pushing hot oil out of the device and starting a fire" Orem Fire Marshal Bret Larsen said 
>> Smoke alarms save lives. You should have replaced the batteries the night of Halloween. If you haven't make sure you get that done before all the cooking starts. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen and use the test button to check it each month.
>> Whether you have a gas fire place or a real fire place make sure to install a carbon monoxide detector. Most carbon monoxide problems occur with chimneys, fireplaces and furnaces because of improper exhausting of fumes. Such problems are almost entirely avoidable through regular professional chimney inspection.


Preventing Children & Pet Burns

>> The best trick you guessed it...keep them out of the kitchen. With all the excitement, amazing smells tickling their fancy and the curious of both children and pets keeping them out of the way will mitigate many incidents.
>> Pets & children can cause you to trip while holding heavy hot food
>> Pets may be tempted to jump on counters which may lead to burns as they may plunge paws on hot stove tops/burners and in some cases may singe fur  and lead to burns on other body parts.

>> Kids may feel the temped to open ovens, pulls pans with hot food, oil and/or grease off the stove tops to take an extra look and cause severe facial burns.
>> And at the risk of sounding repetitive, keep kids and pets away from candles!!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 


Semper Wag'N!

1 comment:

  1. The blog is fantastic and information which you includes which is regarding to safety equipment is fantastic even i will recommended
    to all the viewers to follow these instructions and also for more traffic as well. Thanks for this once again.

    Fire safety

    ReplyDelete

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