Tips to Prevent Thanksgiving Fires

The holiday season is officially here! This time for giving thanks and exchanging gifts unfortunately also comes with some serious dangers. According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving sees the most home cooking fires annually, followed by Christmas Day, Christmas Eve and the day before Thanksgiving.

What can homeowners do to keep their Thanksgiving and holiday season fire safe?

Test Your Alarms

First and foremost, check to make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are working. To do so, press and hold down the button until the siren starts. If the sound is weak, versus the typical high-pitched warning, replace the batteries. If the alarm does not sound at all, replace the whole system. Ideally, smoke and CO detectors should be tested at least once a month year-round.

Avoid Unattended Cooking

This time of year, unattended cooking is the number one cause of house fires. As such, you should always be home and in the kitchen when food is cooking. After all, the turkey will be in the oven for hours.

Be Careful With Cooking Equipment

Home cooking equipment is the second leading cause of residential fires on Thanksgiving Day. The main problem? Attempting to deep fry a turkey without closely following directions. When cooking a turkey this way, many things can go wrong. For instance, if the pot is overfilled with oil or the turkey is still partially frozen, spillage that comes in contact with the burner can cause huge flames.

Keep An Eye On The Kids

Keep children away from the stove and oven to avoid spills and burns. It can be a great family experience to have the kids help on Thanksgiving Day, but even walking to the garbage with empty grocery bags can be dangerous. These and other flammable items should always be kept away from cooking equipment that’s in use.

Decorate Safely

Be careful with your holiday decorations. Prior to stringing up indoor or outdoor lights, check the strands for exposed wires and avoid overloading one outlet with all your plugs. For indoor lights especially, make sure they do not present a trip hazard. Before you leave the house or go to bed, everything should be turned off or unplugged.

Have A Plan

In the event of an emergency, your family should have a home escape plan. This should be practiced several times throughout the year, so everyone is prepared for a fire or carbon monoxide leak.
 
All through the year, we want homeowners to practice fire safety. At M.J. Fahy & Sons, we have decades of experience installing and repairing residential fire protection systems. If your home needs new sprinklers or a fire pump, contact us today!