Fire Safety Over the Thanksgiving Holiday
Tips that Go Beyond the Kitchen Thanksgiving is a delicious time of year in which we give special attention to the many things that we are thankful for. It’s also a time in which we must be extra vigilant about fire risks and safety so that those people and things that we love are protected. Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to ensure that your home is safe during this chaotic and joyful time without adding too much to an already very long to-do list. These are also measures that can protect you, your family, and your home year round. Protect Yourself Against Fire, Flood & CO Every Day! But First, A Look at Some Numbers Before we get into the tips, it’s good to get a solid understanding of why you need to make extra sure that you prevent a Thanksgiving fire, which will help you prevent a fire at any time. The U.S. Fire Administration published a report on Thanksgiving fires in residential buildings from 2014 to 2016 and this is what they found: For every year (2014, 2015, and 2016), there were approximately 2,400 residential fires reported to U.S. fire departments on Thanksgiving day, which caused $19 million in property loss in addition to the 25 injuries and 5 deaths. There are 1.8 Thanksgiving Day fires per 1,000 fires compare to 5.8 non-Thanksgiving Day fires per 1,000 fires. There are 11 injuries per 1,000 Thanksgiving fires compared to 25.7 injuries per 1,000 non-Thanksgiving fires. $7,800 is the average loss per fire compared to $17,560 for non-Thanksgiving Day fires. Multifamily dwellings account for 32.1% of Thanksgiving Day fires. One- and two-family dwellings account for 62.6% of Thanksgiving Day fires, while the remaining 5.3% is reserved for other types of homes. Thanksgiving fire alarm numbers begin to increase at 7:00 a.m. and peak from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 77% of Thanksgiving fires are limited to the object of origin, which means it is contained where it begins. However, this doesn’t minimize the extent of injury. Cooking is responsible for 76.5% of Thanksgiving fires. You can see here that the pattern of Thanksgiving fires is different from a random fire that happens any other time of the year. Knowing the profile of what makes a Thanksgiving fire different can help you with prevention. Just don’t let the fact that there are fewer deaths or injuries per 1,000 fires get your guard down because Thanksgiving is one day a year and nearly 3,000 fires on one day is a lot. Fire Safety Tips to Keep You Safe on Thanksgiving Now it’s time for some quick tips. For instance, HAVE A WORKING SMOKE ALARM. This is key in fire containment and overall safety. Security alarms have built-in smoke detectors that can detect smoke or fire anywhere in the house all year round. Second, make sure you have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen close to the stove and oven. Before you start cooking, make sure your fire extinguisher is safe to use. Third, don’t cook with long, loose sleeves since loose clothing can catch fire. Some other tips: Don’t leave cooking food unattended. Yes, it is tempting to make that quick trip to the grocery store, but either have another adult watch the kitchen or send them on an errand. Kids and the cooking of a huge meal aren’t compatible. It’s best that the little ones stay away from all of the sharp objects and hot things. Face pot and pan handles toward the back of the stove so they aren’t over any burners. Be mindful of towel placement so they don’t touch a burner and catch fire. If a fire occurs, your 24/7 monitored security system can alert the authorities. Don’t yet have a system? Call 911 immediately. If the fire is a grease or oil fire, don’t throw the contents outside. Instead, place a lid over the flames to snuff them out and turn off the heat. The lid shouldn’t be removed until the pan cools. You can also put out an oven fire by keeping the door closed and turning off the heat so it smothers. Opening the door simply gives the fire oxygen to thrive. Baking soda is also another good thing to have to put out a food fire. You don’t want to use flour or water because the reaction could be a violent one that causes the fire to spread. Contact An Expert Rochester Fire Alarm Company By keeping the above fire safety tips in mind, you should have a much safer Thanksgiving. If you don’t have an alarm system that can detect smoke or fire anywhere in your home, SPS Fire & Security has some great options that will help you protect your family and your home. Call us for more information at 585-770-0348. Happy Thanksgiving!
Holiday Fire Safety Tips
From Lights to What’s in the Oven – Avoid Holiday Fires It’s that time of year where everything is chaotic. It can be easy to forget what’s cooking on the stove or to turn off the lights on the tree at night. The last thing you want is to become a fire statistic, especially during the holiday season. Unfortunately, December is one of the most dangerous times of year for household fires, which is why it’s important for you to know how to reduce the risk. In the Kitchen According to the USFA, cooking is the primary reason for holiday fires. Food that is left unattended is the most common cause because of how easy it is to get distracted. To remember there’s food on the stove, carry a potholder or other kitchen utensil with you when you have to go to another room. If you’re deep frying a turkey, do it outside on a flat service at least 10 feet from any structure. Christmas Trees If you have a live tree and it’s too dry, it goes up in flames faster than firewood if it catches on fire. According to the National Institute for Standards and Technology, turpentine is made out of pine trees, which makes it very explosive. To prevent the fire, don’t leave Christmas lights on overnight. If the tree is dry, the lights could cause it to catch fire. Even if using LED lights that stay cool to the touch, it is better to be safe. You also don’t want to put a tree of any kind near heating sources. Although a well-watered tree is very difficult to ignite, keep it away from heat. Also, a real tree will start to dry out after 4 weeks no matter how well it is watered. Christmas Lights Broken, frayed, or cracked light strings should never be used. Out of all the holiday fire safety tips, this is one that you really need to pay attention to because it can be easy to just take the lights and put them up if they are working. When hanging lights outside, don’t use nails or staples because they can damage the wiring. Instead, you need to use UL-rated clips. Lights should be taken down within 3 months of being put up. Leaving them up year-round makes them susceptible to damage by animals. Instituting Other Preventative Measures There are ways that Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo area residents and even business owners can prevent holiday fires. One way is to upgrade existing security alarms to those with fire detection. If you don’t already have a security system in place, it is good to get one because it can immediately notify emergency services of a fire. You also want to put fire detectors throughout the home. The kitchen, near bedrooms, and wherever possible can be the difference between life and death. Contact A Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester Security Company SPS Fire & Security can help you institute safety measures to protect you, your family, your business, or anything else that is important to you. To learn more about how we can help, call us at 585-770-0348 today.