Especially during the holidays, the kitchen is the heart of the home. From experimenting new recipes to following family traditions, cooking and feasting with the family is one of the best ways of spending the holidays.
But during all this cooking, the chances of house fires are significantly increased. These times are more important than ever to be practicing fire safety, especially in the kitchen, during all these activities. When preparing for holiday celebrations and organizing the table for the big dinner, it’s important to keep all safety tips in mind so you can enjoy your time with your loved ones while keeping them away from the dangers of property fires.
Know What to Do During a Fire
While there are steps you can take to prevent property fires, it’s impossible to guarantee they won’t happen. So in the event that a fire does occur in your home, take all steps to put it out. Whether using a fire extinguisher or flour, be sure to have them handy in the event of an emergency.
If the fire has grown too large to extinguish yourself, don’t hesitate to evacuate immediately. You’re your loved ones, including pets, and follow your emergency escape route to evacuate the property. After ensuring that everyone is safely evacuated, call the fire department right away.
As soon as the flames are extinguished, call your insurance company to file a claim, followed by an emergency fire damage restoration company. The quicker action you take, the faster the recovery period will be.
Fire Disasters on Thanksgiving
- The leading contributing factor of property fires are unattended cooking.
- Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and the day before Thanksgiving, in that order, are the peak days for home cooking fires.
- S. fire departments responded to over 1,570 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving in 2016.
- In almost half of all reported home fires, cooking equipment was involved as well as the 2nd leading cause of fire-related deaths.
Thanksgiving Fire Safety Tips
- Keep the floor clear of all obstacles, including pets and kids
- Keep children at least 3 feet away from a hot stove.
- Keep all knives away from children.
- Keep all electrical cords and appliances away from kids, including electric knives, coffee maker, plate warmers, toasters, and roasters.
- Keep lighters and matches away from kids, like in a high, locked cabinet.
- Never leave the room with a burning candle.
- Make sure all smoke alarms are working by pushing the test button.
- Never walk away from the stove top while you are cooking.
- Avoid frying your turkey.
- Unplug all appliances when you’re not using them.
- Always keep a working fire extinguisher easily accessible in the kitchen.
- Use a timer to frequently check your cooking.
- Keep all combustible items, including towels, paper towels, plastic cookware, away from your hot stove and oven.
- Avoid wearing loose-fit clothing or jewelry when cooking.
- Ensure that the fireplace is covered by a glass or metal gate to prevent flying sparks from singeing the floor or causing burns.
What to Do in the Case of Emergency
As stated above, fires can occur in the most unexpected places. Once they start, they can spread within seconds to engulf any item and building material in its path. As soon as you find a fire in your building, don’t hesitate to put it out (if possible) or evacuate everyone immediately and call the fire department.
As soon as the fire is extinguished, call your insurance provider to have an adjuster inspect the damage immediately. Then call a fire damage restoration company to start the restoration process right away.
Call ServiceMaster
When searching for a restoration provider, contact ServiceMaster by Mason. Proudly serving the state of Rhode Island as well as southeast Connecticut, their professionals are experienced, trained, and licensed when it comes to cleaning and restoring properties. As soon as they receive your call, they will respond right away, arriving with professional products and equipment to restore both your property and peace of mind.
Working diligently to clean your items and structure, they will have everything restored in a timely manner so you can focus on enjoying the holidays with your loved ones. ServiceMaster will also work with your insurance company to accelerate the claims process.
For more information regarding ServiceMaster’s fire damage restoration service or if you need emergency assistance, don’t hesitate to give your local provider a call.
