Chief David Grunes and the Bedford Fire Department hope that everyone enjoys the Thanksgiving holiday, but please keep the safety of your family in mind as you celebrate. Some things to be watchful about: Candles, Cooking Safety, Turkey Fryers, Gas Oven Safety, Burns, and Home Heating Safety.
“Firefighters are busier on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year because this holiday has the most home fires, and the majority are cooking fires,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. “As your families gather to celebrate this holiday, keep everyone safe. Start by making sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms.”
Candle Safety
Candles are pretty but they cause many home fires. Candles have open flames, and can easily ignite anything that can burn.
- Burn candles within a 1 foot circle, free of anything that can burn.
- Before you leave a room or the house, blow out candles. Never leave candles burning unattended.
- Always extinguish candles after use.
- Use a non-combustible saucer or candle holder.
- Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.
Cooking Safety Tips
Cooking activities have been the cause of 87% of the 651 Thanksgiving Day fires in Massachusetts over the last five (5) years. State Fire Marshal Ostroskey offered these cooking safety tips that everyone can follow to prevent fires:
- 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.
Turkey Fryers
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) discourages the use of outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers that immerse the turkey in hot oil. There are no outdoor turkey fryers that have a listing from an independent testing laboratory such as UL or ETL. The NFPA states that home use of “turkey fryers that use cooking oil, as currently designed, are not suitable for safe use by even a well-informed and careful consumer.” This risk of an oil spill or the ignition of spilled oil is quite high. They recommend using new “oil-less” turkey fryers.
Gas Ovens: A Source of CO
Generally, the confined space of a closed gas oven used for cooking does not produce enough carbon monoxide (CO) to present any dangers, unless it is used for several hours consecutively like when roasting a turkey. If you have a kitchen exhaust fan, use it; if not, crack a window for fresh air when using the gas oven for an extended period.
Burn Safety
- Keep children 3-feet away from the stove for safety to prevent burns.
- Run cool water on minor burns; call 9-1-1 for more serious burn injuries.
- Remember to stop, drop, cover and roll if clothing ignites.
Home Heating: #2 Cause of Fires on Thanksgiving
Especially if you do not regularly use your fireplace, be sure to have the chimney inspected and cleaned by a professional before lighting the first fire of the season. Everyone who heats with wood should have the chimney cleaned and flue inspected at the start of the heating season.
For more information, contact your local fire department or the Department of Fire Services’ Thanksgiving web page.
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