Thanksgiving Week Safety Advice from PGFD

MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930

mebrady@co.pg.md.us     @PGFDPIO

The Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department offers the following safety tips, to ensure that all citizens and residents will enjoy a safe and festive Thanksgiving holiday. Unfortunately, fire safety and injury prevention guidelines are often overlooked during the holidays. Prince George's County Fire Chief Benjamin M. Barksdale stated, "Everyone needs to keep Safety First and by doing so our citizens, visitors and businesses can avoid tragedy and disruption of their holiday festivities."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) United States Fire Administration (USFA) issued a special report recently examining the characteristics of Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings. The report, Thanksgiving Day Fires in Residential Buildings, was developed by USFA's National Fire Data Center.

The report is based on 2011 to 2013 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).  For each year, an estimated 2,100 residential building fires were reported to fire departments in the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day and caused an estimated 10 deaths, 50 injuries and $28 million in property loss.  The leading cause of Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings is, by far, cooking. Additionally, smoke alarms were not present in 20 percent of Thanksgiving Day fires that occurred in occupied residential buildings.

If your Thanksgiving plans include a Turkey Fryer, this is another whole story by itself, click here for Turkey Fryer Safety Tips.

These safety tips work for every day of the year, however, home fires increase dramatically, twice as many, on Thanksgiving Day.  While these safety and cooking tips may not make Thanksgiving dinner taste any better--they will help to avoid potential disaster;

•    Overnight guests should be instructed on your exit drill from the home and designated meeting place for your family.  Sleep with bedroom doors closed.

•    Have a fire extinguisher available not more than 10 feet from the stove, on the exit side of the room.

•    A standard Class ABC multi-purpose dry chemical extinguisher is recommended. Know how to use your fire extinguisher.

•    Start holiday cooking with a clean stove and oven.

•    Keep the kitchen off limits to young children and adults who are not helping with food preparations. This will lessen the possibility of kitchen mishaps.

•    When cooking, do not wear clothing with loose sleeves or dangling jewelry. Clothing can catch on fire and jewelry can become entangled with pot handles, causing spills and burns.

•    Cook on the back burners when possible, and turn pot handles inward so they don’t extend over the edge of the stove.

•    Never leave cooking unattended. If you must leave the kitchen while cooking, turn off the stove or have someone else watch what is being cooked. Unattended cooking is the number one cause of home fires and fire-related injuries in Prince George’s County.  According to the USFA; cooking is the leading cause of all Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings at 69 percent. Nearly all of these cooking fires (97 percent) are small, confined fires with limited damage.

•    If you use a deep fryer, please, exercise extreme caution and follow manufacturer instructions.  The report from the USFA found that these cooking devices accounted for about 1% of Thanksgiving Day fires.

•    Keep Thanksgiving decorations and kitchen clutter away from sources of direct heat.

•    Candles are often part of holiday decorations. The Fire/EMS Department strongly encourages the use of battery powered candles and discourages the use of candles with an open flame.  If you use candles; they should never be left burning when you are away from home, or after going to bed. Candles should be placed where children will not be tempted to play with them, and where guests will not accidentally brush against them. The candleholder should be completely non-combustible and difficult to knock over. The candle should not have combustible decorations around it.

•    If smoking is allowed inside, provide guests with large, deep ashtrays and check them frequently. After guests leave check inside, under upholstery, and in trash cans for cigarette butts that may be smoldering.

•    10-year smoke alarms will soon be required on every level of your home, in hallways just outside of sleeping areas and in every bedroom.  Sleep with your bedroom door closed and test smoke alarms on the Safety First Day of every month.

Working smoke alarms are required in all residences in Prince George's County.  Consider upgrading to a 10-year tamper proof with hush feature smoke alarm and never change a battery again.  The 10-year alarms and placement in your home will become law effective January 1, 2018.  If you can not afford to purchase an alarm you can call 311.  A firefighter will install a working smoke alarm in your home; free of charge.

The men and women; volunteer, civilian and paid, of the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department wish everyone a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!!!