As you get ready for Thanksgiving, firefighters want you to be safe while your family is celebrating. Some tips on keeping you safe include staying nearby while you are cooking. Whether you are baking, simmering, boiling, grilling or frying, don't go too far away. Keep things that could catch on fire away from the stovetop. That includes napkins, plastics, and towels. Have a lid that can cover your pots in case of a fire. Update your batteries in your smoke detectors so you can be alerted if anything gets out of hand. Thanksgiving is the biggest day for home cooking fires. Be safe out there.
- Check to make sure your oven is empty before turning it on.
- Wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking.
- Turn pot handles inward over the stove.
- Remember to “stand by your pan” and stay in the kitchen when boiling, frying or broiling.
- Use a timer when baking or roasting and never leave the house with the oven running.
- The best way to respond to a stovetop fire is to “put a lid on it” and turn off the heat.
- The best way to respond to an oven or broiler fire is to keep the oven doors closed and turn off the heat.
- If the fire is not quickly snuffed out, leave the house and call 9-1-1 from outside.