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Health & Fitness

Thanksgiving Leading Holiday for Cooking Fires: Cooking Safety Guidelines from the NLFPD

Vivid autumn colors, fallen leaves crunching beneath your feet and the smell of turkey dinner wafting through the air means Thanksgiving Day is almost here. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving Day is the leading holiday for home fires involving cooking equipment.

 

According to FEMA, cooking fires in residential buildings occurred more often on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year. From 2009-2011, cooking was by far the leading cause of all Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings at 72 percent. By comparison, cooking was the cause of 46 percent of residential building fires that occurred on all days of the year other than Thanksgiving Day. Heating, at 8 percent, was the next leading cause of Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings.

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The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported that unattended cooking was the leading cause of cooking fires from 2006-2010. In half of the cooking fires that began with cooking materials (including food), cooking oil, fat, grease or similar substances were first ignited.

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The New Lenox Fire Protection District (NLFPD) wants New Lenox residents to keep the holiday season fire free by following these simple cooking safety guidelines.

·         Be on Alert! Do not use the oven or stovetop if you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol.

·         Stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling, or boiling food. Turn off the stove if you leave the kitchen, even for a short period of time.

·         If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.

·         Keep anything that can catch on fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains – away from your stovetop.

·         If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by carefully sliding a lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Do not move the pan. Leave the lid on until the pan is completely cool. Never throw water into a grease fire. In case of an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

 

Outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers can also pose a huge risk of injury and fires this time of year. They cook up juicy turkeys in the fraction of the time it takes to roast one in an indoor oven. Outdoor fryers heat gallons of cooking oil to very high temperatures to cook the turkey. The risk of this oil being spilled is significant, and the injuries and fires can be severe. The NFPA and NLFPD want all residents to be aware of the risk of injury associated with turkey fryers. For your own safety, use the oil-free models or refrain from using them altogether. Visit the New Lenox Fire District’s Facebook page to watch a demonstration on what can go wrong with turkey fryers and how quickly the fire spreads.

 

The primary mission of the New Lenox Fire and Ambulance Protection District is to provide a range of programs designed to protect the lives and property within New Lenox Village and Township from the effects for fires and sudden medical emergencies or exposure to dangerous conditions created by man or nature with professional, compassionate, and quality service.

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