The kitchen is the heart of the home, especially at Thanksgiving. From testing family recipes to decorating cakes and cookies, everyone enjoys being part of the preparations. Kids especially love to be involved in holiday preparations. However, safety in the kitchen is important, especially on Thanksgiving Day when there is a lot of activity and people at home.
According to the United States Fire Administration, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires and frying food increases the risk. The average number of reported home fires in the United States on Thanksgiving Day is more than double the average number of home fires on all other days. According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings occurred most frequently from noon to 3 p.m., when many people most likely were preparing Thanksgiving dinner. These fires then declined throughout the evening.
As you start preparing your holiday schedule and organizing that large family feast, remember to play it safe! E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety offers a few simple tips so you can enjoy time with your loved ones and keep yourself and your family safer from fire.
Turkey:
If you are roasting your turkey, make sure you set a timer. This way, you won’t forget about the bird as you watch the parade or football game.
Deep frying a turkey may be delicious but it also can be dangerous. If you are frying your turkey,
- Use a fryer with thermostat controls. This will ensure the oil does not become over heated
- Thaw your turkey completely. Ice on the bird will cause the oil to splatter
- Don’t overfill the pot with oil. If you do, the oil will overflow when you add the turkey causing a fire hazard
- Keep children and pets at least 3-feet away from the fryer to protect against burn injuries
- Also, always use the fryer outdoors on a sturdy, level surface away from things that can burn.
- Keep the area around the stove clear of packaging, paper towels, and dish cloths; anything that can burn
- Be sure to clean up any spills as they happen
- Be prepared! Keep a large pan lid or baking sheet handy in case you need to smother a pan fire
- Turn pot handles towards the back of the stove so you don’t bump them
Listen to the interview this morning on WKZO AM 590 with Ken Lanphear promoting the 14th Annual Family Fire Safety Day event Saturday October 28th at Lowe’s in Portage.
Also, Click here to listen to the interview
Fire is Everyone’s Fight™ – it’s a message Michael McLeieer has been telling us for years. This weekend you and your family have a chance to learn how you can stay safe in your home. Michael visited the eightWest studio at WOOD TV 8 today along with Jake The Fire Safety Dog to talk about the event.
>>> Take a look in the video above.
14th Annual Family Fire Safety Day
- Saturday October 28th 10am – 2pm
- Lowe’s in Portage 5108 S. Westnedge Avenue
- Free smoke alarms and 9-Volt Batteries (while supplies last)
- Meet Storm Team 8 Chief Meteorologist Bill Steffen
- Halloween Costume Contest with prizes 11am
Visit www.escapeinc.org or call 269-492-3340 for more info.
Does your family know what to do in the event of a fire inside your home? Do you have escape plans? Right now 85% of families surveyed don’t have or practice a home fire escape plan. But it’s easy to do and as we enter Fire Prevention Week, it’s a good time to implement a plan.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week Theme is “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!” Download a home fire escape map and practice it with your family twice a year. Create an escape plan with your family with this easy printout.
Operation Save A Life is a national award winning public awareness campaign targeting fire safety and prevention. It’s a partnership between WOTV 4, Kidde Fire Safety, West Michigan Fire Departments and E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety.
To get free smoke or carbon monoxide alarm installed:
- Call 311 in Grand Rapids
- outside of G.R. 1-844-978-4400
- email [email protected]
Grand Rapids Fire Department Open House:
- Wednesday, October 11
6pm-8pm
Visit any GRFD locations
Portage Fire Safety Event:
- Family Fire Safety Day
Saturday October 28th 10am – 2pm
Lowe’s of Portage
5108 S. Westnedge Avenue
When a tragic fire happens, communities come together to address fire safety. But what if there was a way for communities to work together before a fire broke out, to help save property and lives before they were lost?
Operation Save A Life is a free smoke and carbon monoxide installation program in select communities across West Michigan. The program can make a big difference in reducing deaths and injuries in a fire or during carbon monoxide incidents. See video above for more information on this program.
Maranda had the chance to interview fire chiefs and firefighters about Operation Save A Life and how the program have impacted the community in a positive way.
You go girls! Maranda also had the opportunity of talking with some of the women firefighters, and hearing their stories.
Operation Save A Life can be very beneficial in mobile homes. Typically, older adults live in these homes, making it difficult to retreat. Also, due to size, the layout and household items can burn hotter and faster.
Smoke alarms are the life-saving success stories of the past 30 years. However, each year, three out of five home fires in the United States that are reported have either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Here is a list of some of the area smoke alarm installation programs across West Michigan:
Allegan County:
Dorr Township Fire Department – 616-681-9874
Fennville Area Fire Department – 269-561-2148
Ganges Township Fire Department – 269-227-3806
Graafschap Fire and Rescue – 616-396-4060
Salem Township Fire – 616-292-7789
Saugatuck Township Fire District – 269-857-3000
Branch:
Coldwater Fire Department – 517-278-4177
Calhoun:
Battle Creek Fire Department – 269-966-3519
Eaton:
Olivet Fire Department – 269-492-3340
Kalamazoo:
American Red Cross – Raul Galvan – 269-762-1935
Portage Department of Public Safety – Fire Division – 269-329-4487
Kent:
American Red Cross – Leslie Montgomery-Bean – 616-490-5571
Cutlerville Fire Department – 616-455-7670
Dutton Fire Department – 616-541-0119
Grand Rapids Fire Department – 616-456-3966
Kentwood Fire Department – 616-554-0800
Walker Fire Department – 616-791-6840
Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan (must live in Grand Rapids, Kentwood, or Wyoming and have a resident child 14 years of age or younger. Both tenants and owners are eligible) – 616-241-3300 or email [email protected].
Montcalm:
Home Township Fire Department (Edmore) – 616-902-3923
Muskegon:
Blue Lake Township Fire Department – 231-288-9220
Casnovia Township Fire Department – 231-834-7066
Dalton Township Fire Department – 231-766-3277
Egelston Fire Department – 231-788-2254
Fruitport Township Fire Department – 231-773-9312
Holton Township Fire Department – 231-343-6861
Montague Fire District Authority – 231-893-3311
Moorland Township Fire Department – 231-769-9402
Muskegon Charter Township Fire Department – 231-773-4316
Muskegon Heights Fire Department – 231-733-8893
Muskegon City Fire Department – 231-724-6795
North Muskegon Fire Department – 231-744-1766
Norton Shores Fire Department – 231-799-6809
Ravenna Fire Department – 231-638-1142
White Lake Fire Authority – 231-893-6503
Ottawa:
Allendale Fire Department – 616-895-6295, ext. 30
Crockery Township Fire Department – 616-837-6700 (fire station) or 616-837-6868 (township hall)
For more information on fire safety or to find a smoke alarm installation program near your community, call toll free 1-844-978-4400 or email [email protected].
Operation Save A Life is reducing home fires and home fire fatalities across a 14-county region by 62%.
Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow today announced E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc., a fire safety educational organization in Kalamazoo, will receive $23,334 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program to purchase and install 10-year long-life battery sealed smoke alarms and provide fire safety education to West Michigan children and families.
“Providing communities with fire safety training and reliable smoke alarms will ensure that Michiganders are prepared in the event of a fire or other emergency,” said Senator Peters. “This funding will help E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. provide West Michigan children and adults with lifesaving fire safety skills and long lasting smoke detectors that can save their lives in an emergency.”
“Our firefighters in Kalamazoo put their lives on the line to protect our families and homes,” said Senator Stabenow. “Prevention is key and these resources will help save lives and the treasured possessions of so many families.”
“Emergencies can strike at any time and it is critical that Michigan families are prepared to respond to dangerous situations,” said Firefighter Michael McLeieer, President of E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. “By receiving this federal Fire Prevention and Safety Grant award from FEMA, we will be able to provide our local firefighters and other fire safety advocates with the tools they need to Make Michigan S.A.F.E. Our goal is to make smoke alarms available at no cost, install them, and provide fire safety education to residents in order to keep them safe.”
E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. provides fire and life safety training to children and adults of all ages in West Michigan. Since their founding in 1995, E.S.C.A.P.E Inc. has educated over 1,000,000 children and adults. According to E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc., at least 50 people who participated in the training program have used those skills to save their family from danger in an emergency.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grants program has positively affected public safety by providing nearly $7.3 billion since 2001 for infrared cameras, personal protective gear, hazmat detection devices, improved breathing apparatuses, and interoperable communications systems. This equipment is critical to ensuring the safety of firefighters as they respond to emergencies and protect our communities.
Eligible fire departments and Emergency Medical Services organizations in Michigan and across the country can apply for Assistance to Firefighters Grants. These competitive grants help first responders purchase the equipment and obtain the training needed to handle fire-related hazards. More information about the grant can be found at http://www.fema.gov/welcome-assistance-firefighters-grant-program.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments respond to approximately 5,690 fires at education buildings each year. These fires caused an annual 85 civilian injuries and $92 million in direct property damage. Almost a quarter of all school fires are started intentionally. Safety education and preparation should be a priority for every family and school official.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety offers these tips to play it safe as children and adolescents return to school:
- Fire drills should be held at least once a month while school is in session (weather permitting).
- Principals, teachers or other school staff must inspect all exits daily to ensure that stairways, doors, and other exits are working properly and are unblocked.
- On the day of the drill, the emergency drill alarm should be sounded on the school fire alarm system. Make sure everyone can recognize the sound of the alarm and knows what to do when it sounds.
- Teachers, officials, and staff should be familiar with the school’s fire protection system, including the location of fire alarms pull stations and sprinklers.
- Every room in the school should have a map posted identifying two ways out. In schools with open floor plans, exit paths should be obvious and kept free of obstruction.
- On the day of the fire drill, everyone in the school should participate.
- Students with specific needs should be assigned an adult or a student buddy to assist them. Fire drills are a good opportunity to identify who among the student population requires extra assistance.
- While it’s important to make sure that students leave the building as quickly as possible, order is more important than speed when it comes to conducting a safe fire drill.
- Use the class rosters to ensure every student is accounted for.
- Fire drills should be held both at expected and at unexpected time, and under varying conditions in order to simulate the conditions that can occur in an actual emergency.
- School fire drills are a model for students to use in their homes. Encourage students to practice their escape plans at home – just as they do at school
If a student engages in firesetting or other negative high risk taking behavior, contact your local fire department or visit www.kidsandfire.org for a list of West Michigan Fire Department based Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention programs.
College Fire Safety
While the above tips focus mostly on elementary, middle and high schools, they can also apply to college buildings, where firefighters respond to about 3,810 fires each year – 88% of which are due to cooking mishaps. Here’s a college-level course in fire prevention:
On-campus precautions
- Cook only in designated areas
- Keep cooking areas clean and free of clutter
- Never leave cooking unattended
- In case of a fire inside a microwave, close the door and unplug the unit
Campus lab precautions
- Never leave lab experiments or pressure vessels unattended
- Keep flammable gases and chemicals away from heat
Off-campus precautions
- Be sure each bedroom has a working smoke alarm
- Make sure the building sprinkler system is well maintained
- Building heating and fire-prevention systems need to be checked annually by fire officials
General precautions
- Identify the two closest exits and all possible evacuation routes
- Know locations of fire alarms and how to use them
- Report vandalized fire equipment to campus security
Fire Prevention Week is recognized each October. However, fire safety should be practiced 365 days a year. Whether you’re at home, in the office or at school, safety should come first. Do your part to protect yourself and those around you Where You Live!