Family, football, pumpkin pie, stuffing, cranberries and “the bird”: these components, and more, help make up the day we call “Thanksgiving.” In a flurry to be prepared for this special Thursday, many people focus on what they need to do to get the food on the table in time for dinner without any major culinary disasters. What many do not think about, however, is safety. Coincidentally, Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days for firefighters and emergency workers. Help give these workers a break and keep your family safe with the following Thanksgiving Day tips.
Tips for Having a Safe and Fire-Free Thanksgiving Holiday
Keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Do not use water to try to extinguish a grease fire; this will only cause the fire to spread.
Make sure your smoke alarms work.
No wizard sleeves. While cooking, make sure you wear sleeves that fit snuggly around your arms and wrists, or wear shirts with short sleeves. Shirts and dresses with flowing sleeves can easily catch on fire over a hot stove.
Invest in timers. Use timers to help you keep track of all the food cooking in the ovens and on stovetops.
Keep any non-food items away from the stove. This includes potholders, plastic wrap, bags and so on.
Turn the handles of pots and pans inwards. This will help prevent having someone accidentally bump into them.
Do not leave cooking food and candles unattended.
Double check to see that the stove and oven are turned off.
Designate an adult to do a walkthrough of the home after the guests leave to make sure all candles are extinguished.
When frying a turkey, do so at least 10 feet away the home and other flammable surfaces. Make sure the turkey is fully defrosted before placing it in the hot oil, and monitor the fryer the whole time it is in use and when the oil is hot.
Clean your oven before and after Turkey Day. Bits of grease that remain in the oven can easily catch fire.
Do not allow children, pets or many guests in the kitchen area. This will help prevent accidents.
Cold, freezing temperatures seem to have hit earlier than expected this year. Are your pipes are ready for winter weather? No matter the type of building, a burst pipe can prove to be costly and devastating. Take, for example, Washington Elementary, which experienced a burst pipe that damaged property such as library books and carpets. Luckily, school staff was in the building shortly after the pipe burst, so the damage was not as bad as it could have been.
How to Prevent Pipes from Bursting
Ever notice how a can of soda explodes in the freezer? This is because water expands when it freezes quickly. The same happens in pipes full of water: the expanding cold water places too much pressure within the pipe and causes it to burst. The following tips will help prevent this expensive disaster from happening in your home and office:
Insulate on the fly. When the temperatures are going to dip and you do not have pipe insulation from the hardware store, use newspapers and plastic grocery bags as a quick fix. Wrap the newspaper around vulnerable pipes, secure the paper with strong tape and cover the newspaper with plastic bags.
Heat tape and pipe insulation. When you are able to make it to the hardware store, purchase heat tape and pipe insulation. Place the heat tape around the most vulnerable pipes and cover them with insulation.
Let it flow. One of the best ways to prevent water from freezing within pipes is by letting the water continuously flow. This is because running water does not freeze. Allow a trickle of water that is the same diameter as a pencil to flow from a faucet to prevent bursting pipes. Although this method seems wasteful, there are creative ways to use the water. For example, use the water to hydrate indoor plants or place the water in a rain barrel for summertime garden watering. Keep in mind that the cost of continuously running water is, in the end, cheaper than having to repair pipes, damaged walls and ceilings, wet documents and wet books.
One of things people look forward to the most on the nation’s Independence Day is lighting fireworks. To make the most out of the holiday weekend, play it safe. Make this Fourth of July memorable because of the great time you had with family and friends, not because of a fireworks accident that went wrong.
Firework Safety Tips
Know the law regarding fireworks in your state. If you are in an area that does not allow illegal fireworks, do not even think about using them.
Only use fireworks outside.
Have a hose or a bucket of water ready to extinguish any blazes.
Do not alter fireworks.
Leave a dud alone. If a firework does not work, leave it alone for at least 20 minutes before soaking it a bucket of water. Do not try to relight a dud.
Do not drink and light fireworks. If there will be alcohol at your Independence Day festivities, appoint a designated fireworks lighter who will remain sober.
Only allow those over the age of 12 use sparklers.
Use safety equipment. The person lighting the fireworks should wear safety glass and spectators should keep a safe distance.
Memorial Day weekend signals the official start of summer, one of the most popular times to fire-up the grill to make backyard cuisines. However, the beginning of summer also signals the beginning of wildfire season. Help keep your home and neighborhood safe by keeping the following tips from the HPBA (Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association) and the Propane Education & Research Council in mind.
Prepare Your Home and Grill
Cut back your grass and move burnable materials. Keep grass, wood, bush, plants and other materials at least 10 feet away from propane tanks and cylinders. This includes tanks installed in your grill and tanks you are storing.
Do not store propane tanks and cylinders inside a home, shed, garage or any other building.
Read the manual for your propane tank and grill.
Only use grills outside and in a well-ventilated area. If you grill indoors, there is a chance carbon monoxide could accumulate and prove fatal to those in the building.
Make sure the grill is stable. When grills are unstable or placed on uneven surfaces they may fall or tip over unexpectedly, which can cause a fire.
Replace expired or damaged tanks. This includes tanks that have holes, rust spots or cracks.
Use a grill mat. Use a heat-resistance grill mat under a gas or charcoal grill to prevent fires caused by hot embers or drippings.
Keep an extinguisher nearby. When grilling, keep a fire extinguisher nearby. If you do not have an extinguisher, keep baking soda, a bucket of garden sand or a garden hose close.
Outdoor fire prevention is quick, easy and worth the effort so you do not have to deal with the consequences of a full-blown, damaging blaze.
As the cold weather continues across the U.S., emergency workers are responding to a growing number of deaths. The reason behind the fatalities is due to inappropriate means of trying to stay warm.
WWL-FM105.3 of Louisiana reports that recent fires unnecessarily took the lives of a handful of people. The report states Fire Marshal Butch Browning shared: “…deadly fires not only occur because of using inappropriate heating sources, but using proper heating sources like space heaters in an improper way.”
Browining also recommends only using a space heater when awake. Also, make sure smoke detectors in the home work. If not, Browing states, “your family has less than a 40% chance of waking up in a fire.”
Family, football, pumpkin pie, stuffing, cranberries and “the bird”: these components, and more, help make up the day we call “Thanksgiving.” In a flurry to be prepared for this special Thursday, many people focus on what they need to do to get the food on the table in time for dinner without any major culinary disasters. What many do not think about, however, is safety. Coincidentally, Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days for firefighters and emergency workers. Help give these workers a break and keep your family safe with the following Thanksgiving Day tips.
