SFD Offers Holiday Cooking Safety Tips to Prevent Fires

Brian Schaeffer, Assistant Chief, 509.625.7002

Thursday, November 27, 2014 at 10:23 a.m.

The Spokane Fire Department is offering tips to prevent cooking fires this holiday season. Cooking is the leading cause of home structure fires and fire injuries, accounting for 43 percent of all reported home fires and 38 percent of fire injuries in the United States.

If you’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner, remember the following safety tips to help keep your family safe and avoid cooking fires.

  • Stay home when cooking
  • Turn on a timer every time the stove is turned on
  • Check your turkey and any other foods often
  • Keep a pan lid handy whenever you are cooking with grease or oil so you can quickly smother unwanted flames
  • Keep the kitchen free from tripping hazards
  • Make sure your smoke alarms are working (PDF 920 KB)

Additionally, it’s important to remember that although children often love to be part of holiday meal preparations, participation that is not closely supervised can easily result in needless injury. SFD encourages adults to engage kids in recipe preparations that can be completed before stoves and ovens are turned on, or offer activities such as games, puzzles or books to keep kids safe and involved in the celebration.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) discourages the use of gas-fueled turkey fryers. Turkey fryers greatly increase the chance of injury while cooking. For those who prefer their turkey fried, the NFPA recommends trying new “oil-less turkey fryers”.

From all of us at the Spokane Fire Department, Happy Thanksgiving!

For more information on cooking safety visit SpokaneFire.org.