LIMA, OH (WLIO) - While you are finalizing your plans for Thanksgiving, make sure that you have safety in mind as well. Our Sartaj Singh has more on common Thanksgiving fire safety tips that often get overlooked.
It's the time of year when we sit together with family, and remember what we are thankful for, but there are things you should know so you can properly cook that Thanksgiving turkey, and not your home.
"Winter time, fire safety, this is when we have most of our fires," stated Warren Pughsley, inspector from the Lima Fire Department.
Reported fires increase starting from Thanksgiving onward, and the Lima Fire Department wants to remind residents of essential fire safety tips so that you can be thankful for a safe Thanksgiving.
The one that is often ignored, is the fact that many often don't pay attention when they are cooking their holiday meal.
"Cooking needs to be attended," stated Pughsley. "And Thanksgiving, you get people that are cooking elaborate enormous meals, and they are cooking, and going to sleep, and taking naps, and not paying attention."
And the lack of attention paired with a lack of knowledge of preparing that turkey staple could spell disaster. Knowing how to properly cook a feast is essential, especially if you are planning to fry your turkey.
"How high do we fill the oil, what kind of oil do you use, should the turkey be completely unthawed and patted dry? Like they don't know the rules and so we end up having an emergency cause they are using a frozen turkey or they have too much water or the grease has gotten hot," said Pughsley.
Danger could also come outside of the thanksgiving dinner table. Families may turn on their furnace, break out the space heater, or light candles to keep the entire party warm, but leaving them without supervision could be a ticket to a fire.
"Sometimes we use them without having them checked. And so, make sure you got the furnace checked. Make sure you got the candles blown out before you go to bed and that they are not around little kids or pets. You want to make sure that space heaters, three feet away from space heaters," said Pughsley.
This Thanksgiving is a time of celebration and looking back at things you are grateful for and looking up common safety tips, as well as how to properly cook a turkey, could be just another thing you are thankful for at the dinner table.
"We have to make sure safety first, Thanksgiving food second, leftover third, Ohio State Michigan game fourth, and safety again fifth," added Pughsley.
