Thanksgiving Holiday Safety

Safely Prepare Your Holiday Meal

Holidays are times we share the kitchen with family and friends. Cooking is the leading cause of home fires. Cooking fires nearly double on Thanksgiving Day, occurring twice as often than any other day. Our kitchen is the heart of the home, so make it a goal this year to share good fire and food safety practices.

Did you know that Thanksgiving is the leading time of the year for home fires, involving cooking.

• Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen in case of an emergency and teach your family how to use it.
• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food.
• Stay in the home when cooking your turkey and check on it frequently.
• Safely thaw, prepare, stuff and cook your turkey.
• Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.
• Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay 3 feet away.
• Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
• Keep anything that can catch on fire (pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, etc) away from your stove top and oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
• Deep Fried Turkey Advisory.
• Keep knives out of the reach of children.
• Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
• Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.
• More Cooking Safety Tips.

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Travel Tips

Millions of Americans will travel to spend the holiday with friends and family, leaving their homes empty. To ensure a worry-free holiday following these tips to keep your family and home safe for the holidays.

Leaving your home safe.

• Remove fall-related objects that might allow access to your home. For example, ladders for cleaning leaves out of gutters can be used to enter a window or scale a fence.
• Don’t post Thanksgiving travel plans on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)letting people know that you will be out of town.
• Make sure to have all mail, newspapers, and deliveries stopped or picked up by a neighbor, friend or relative.
• Never leave a key hidden outside. Burglars know all the best hiding places.
• Secure all windows, including those upstairs and reduce the chance of easy entry by cutting tree limbs away from second-story windows.
• Use timers to operate lights.
• Have a home security system installed that includes a 24-hour fire monitoring service that automatically dispatches the fire or police department.
• Consider installing a Web-based home security system, that allows you to check on your home while away and even arm and disarm your system from any laptop, cell phone, PDA or other Web-enabled device.

While traveling.

• Make sure the vehicle is in good working order.
• Start out with a full tank of gas, check the tire air pressure and make sure the windshield fluid is full.
• Buckle up, slow down, don’t drive impaired. Designate a driver who won’t drink.
• Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio or other local news channel before you get on the road.
• Be well rested and alert.
• Use caution in work zones.
• Give one’s full attention to the road. Avoid distractions such as cell phones.
• Observe speed limits – driving too fast or too slow can increase the chance of being in a collision.
• Make frequent stops. During long trips, rotate drivers. If the driver is tired, stop and get some rest.
• If you're driving with kids, make sure you pack enough snacks, water, games, videos/DVDs, and music to keep them occupied during your journey.
• Be respectful of other motorists and follow the rules of the road.
• Don’t follow another vehicle too closely.
• Clean the vehicle’s headlights, taillights, signal lights and windows.
• Turn the headlights on as dusk approaches, or if using windshield wipers due to inclement weather.
• Don’t overdrive the headlights.
• If car trouble develops, pull off the road as far as possible.
• Keep an emergency preparedness kit in the vehicle: American Red Cross Survival Kit

Other Travel Tips.

• It’s flu season. If you’ve been sick or been in contact with someone who is sick, consider postponing your trip. You could be contagious for a week before symptoms appear.
• Remember that everything you touch has to be touched by someone else – luggage handlers, etc. Handle your own belongings as much as possible. Wash your hands often with soap and water.
• Carry hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes with you. You can use them to wash your hands or wipe down surfaces such as armrests.
• Bring your own pillows and blankets – they can act as a shield against the seat itself.
• Avoid touching your face or eyes. If you have to cough or sneeze, do so into a tissue or your sleeve.

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Sources: National Fire Protection Agency-NFPA (www.nfpa.org), American Red Cross (www.redcross.org), U.S. Fire Administration (www.usfa.gov) and Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov)