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Thanksgiving signifies the beginning of the Holiday Season. Many will be spending more time in the kitchen preparing for the holidays. It’s our responsibility to educate our community on holiday safety, so start now. After all – Thanksgiving is the single worst day for residential fires!
Thanksgiving Fire Statistics
- Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires with more than three times the daily average for such incidents. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve ranked second and third, with both having nearly twice the daily average.
- Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.
- Cooking causes half (52%) of all reported home fires and nearly two of every five (36%) home fire injuries, and it is a leading cause of home fire deaths (17%).
- On Thanksgiving day alone, an estimated 1,610 home cooking fires were reported to U.S fire departments in 2022, reflecting a 399 percent increase over the daily average.
Top Safety Tips
- 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.
- Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three 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 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.
- Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle.
- Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.
Source: NFPA Research
Editor’s note: California State Firefighters Association is honored to help your agency with Community Risk Reduction articles for you to use for your agency’s social media, press releases to local media, cable tv, or presentations to community organizations etc. These articles are intended to reduce fires, accidents, and injuries by sharing these within your community. This week’s article is designated for Wildfire Preparedness Day which is May 4th . This article and its content can be used at your discretion at any time you feel is appropriate for your community. Do you need other resources for Community Risk Reduction or do you have questions on how to best use these resources? Feel free to contact [email protected]
Sam DiGiovanna is a 40-year fire service veteran. He started with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, served as Fire Chief at the Monrovia Fire Department, and currently serves as Chief at the Verdugo Fire Academy in Glendale and Associate Director for the Calif Training Officers Assoc. He also is a consultant for Lexipol www.Lexipol.com