A Thanksgiving Day Safety Message

For many families, the kitchen is a whirl of hustle and bustle as the Thanksgiving meal is prepared. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving is the leading day for home-cooking fires. With that in mind, we’d like to remind you of a few safety tips that can ensure a safe holiday.

• Stay in the kitchen while you’re cooking. If you leave the kitchen, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove top.


• If you’re sleepy or have been drinking, don't use the stove or stovetop.


• If you're simmering, baking, roasting, or broiling, check the food regularly.


• Use a timer to remind you when food should be done.


• Keep anything that can catch fire like oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging or towels away from your stovetop.

If cooking with an outdoor turkey fryer follow these safety tips:

• Don’t use it indoors and never leave it unattended.


• Keep fryers at least 10ft away from the house and on a non-combustible surface.


• Make sure fryers are on a flat surface to prevent tipping or spills of hot oil.

Let's review what you need to do if you have a cooking fire or other emergency:

• Keep a lid nearby when you're cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered and call the fire department.


• For an oven fire, turn off the heat, keep the door closed and call the fire department.


• When in doubt, just get out! When you leave, close the door and call the fire department.

Take this holiday season to celebrate your kids’ natural curiosity, but remain vigilant as your child tests boundaries and explores new terrain:

• Use your back burners when possible and always turn your pot handles towards the wall.


• Watch that your little one doesn’t wind up underfoot as hot food is dashed from the kitchen to the table.


• Setting the perfect holiday table can also be a challenge as the edge of a table cloth can represent a bright enticement for little hands to pull. If you plan to use one, secure the tablecloth to the table with binder clips or something equivalent.


• Set up your kid’s play area away from the cooking area.

Wishing you a safe and happy Thanksgiving!