Thanksgiving is the peek day for home cooking fires across the nation. According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. firefighters responded to roughly 1,300 home fires involving cooking equipment on Thanksgiving 2007. The Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) would like to encourage you to add the following cooking safety tips to your Thanksgiving recipes this holiday.Cook with Caution
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Keep all combustibles away from the cooking devices.
• Keep children away from the cooking areas to reduce the risk of burns and fires.
• Do not wear clothing with loose sleeves while cooking.
• Ensure that you have a fire extinguisher and a working smoke alarm on each level of your home.
• Remember to handle, prepare and cook food safely.
Finally, check out the following information from the Underwriters Laboratory regarding deep fat frying turkeys and turkey fryers. There are so many hazards related to these devices, the UL won’t certify any turkey fryers for use and TFD strongly recommends you do not use them.
