| As Thanksgiving Day nears, the Potsdam Fire Department would like to remind the community to take extra precautions for the forgotten dangers of the holiday that are often found not only in the kitchen but around the house.
The National Fire Protection Association says Thanksgiving Day is the leading day for home-cooking fires, with three times as many occurring on the holiday as any other day of the year. By following these basic safety tips you can greatly reduce your chance of a home-cooking fire.
•Always stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food. If you have to leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove or have a relief chef step in.
•When simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
•Stay alert. If you are sleepy or impaired by medication or alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
•Keep all combustibles such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains away from the stovetop.
•When cooking, do not wear clothing with loose sleeves or dangling jewelry. Clothing can catch on fire and jewelry can become entangled with pot handles, causing spills and burns.
•Follow manufacturers’ requirements and instructions for special cooking appliances such as turkey fryers or pressure cookers.
•Keep Thanksgiving decorations and kitchen clutter away from sources of direct heat.
•Candles are often part of holiday decorations. If you use candles; they should never be left burning when you are away from home, or after going to bed. Candles should be placed where children will not be tempted to play with them, and where guests will not accidentally brush against them. The candleholder should be completely non-combustible and difficult to knock over. The candle should not have combustible decorations around it.
•Working smoke alarms save lives!!!!
If you do experience a cooking fire:
•Get out! Close doors behind you as you leave to help contain the fire.
•Call 9-1-1 from outside the home.
•Keep a lid nearby when cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the stove. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
•For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed. |
