Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Co of Newark and the U.S. Fire Administration offer fire safety tips for your Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires. The average number of house fires in the United States doubles on Thanksgiving Day.
When cooking on your stove top at high temperatures, turn off the burners before leaving the kitchen. Keep the area around the stove clear of oven mitts, food packaging, wooden utensils, hand towels, curtains, and anything that can burn. Turn pot handles towards the back of the stove so you don’t bump them. Keep a large pan lid or cooking sheet close by so you can smother a pan fire.
Look inside your oven before using it. The oven portion of the stove is used less today for cooking than when your Mom made dinner years ago. Many ovens today are used more for storage than cooking. Our fire department responds to many oven fires caused by melting pot handles, smoldering pizza boxes and flaming Tupperware.
If you are roasting your turkey in the oven, make sure you set a timer. This way you won’t forget about the bird as you entertain family and friends.
If you are frying your turkey, there are several important things to remember.
* Use a fryer with thermostat controls. This will ensure the oil does not become overheated.
* Thaw your turkey completely. Ice on the bird will cause the hot oil to splatter. Ice inside the bird will cause the bird, and the hot oil, to explode.
* Don’t over fill the pot with oil. If you do, the hot oil will overflow when you add the turkey.
* Always use the fryer outdoors. Never use a fryer on a wooden deck or inside the garage.
Aetna is asking residence to follow these safety tips and let their Firefighters and EMT’s have dinner with their families, not yours.
Source: Newark Fire Department (Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder) and the U.S. Fire Administration.
