State Fire Administrator Urges Safety This Thanksgiving

ALBANY, NY (11/22/2010)(readMedia)-- Thanksgiving is one of the most beloved holidays in the United States and with good reason: Although it was traditionally a harvest festival, it has evolved into a celebration of giving thanks and showing gratitude for the presence of family and friends as well as for the blessings received during the year.

Special occasions like Thanksgiving call for a lot of family gathering and celebrations which means food and alcoholic drinks, in some cases, in abundance.

"While the Thanksgiving holiday is joyous, it can also be a perfect time for more accidents to occur, especially fire-related accidents," said State Fire Administrator Floyd A. Madison. "I urge all New Yorkers to use some common sense and think safety first as they enjoy this holiday."

Madison said that fire accidents are frightfully common during Thanksgiving, adding that the National Fire Protection Association reports that more cooking fires occur on this holiday than any other day in the calendar.

To avoid fire accidents during Thanksgiving, consider the following tips:

• Be on alert! Always keep your eyes on what is cooking.

• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.

• 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 fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains – away from your stovetop.

Outdoors, turkey deep fryers are becoming popular choices to cook the Thanksgiving bird. The New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) discourages the use of outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers that immerse the turkey in hot oil.

In deep frying, two to five gallons of cooking oil is heated to temperatures of 350 degrees Fahrenheit or more. With the cooking oil being combustible, if it is heated beyond its cooking temperature, its vapors can ignite. This is a fire danger separate from the burn danger inherent in the hot oil. Overheating can occur if temperature controls, which are designed to shut off the fryer if the oil overheats, are defective, or if the appliance has no temperature controls.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving across New York State, we also find the return of cooler weather and the need to heat our homes.

OFPC reminds all New Yorkers that as we turn on the furnace or light the wood stove, the danger of exposure to carbon monoxide increases dramatically and the best way to protect yourself and your family is to install CO alarms. "Carbon monoxide alarms save lives, it's just that simple," said Chief Paul D. Martin of the OFPC Bureau of Fire Prevention.

For more information about fire safety and carbon monoxide, visit the OFPC website at www.dos.state.ny.us/fire.

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