REMINDER: ECFR Conducting Turkey Frying Demonstration Today

Escambia County Fire Rescue will conduct a turkey fryer fire safety demonstration today, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. at Escambia County Fire Station 17, located at 1700 N. "W" St. The demonstration will provide citizens and the media an example of several key concerns and dangers involved with not taking proper safety precautions when frying turkeys in outdoor oil fryers. The goal is to educate the public and prevent a Thanksgiving tragedy.

ECFR reminds residents to stay safe when cooking this Thanksgiving, which is the peak day for home cooking fires across the United States. Frying foods increases the risk of a cooking fire, with dangers including cooking oil spills and overheating fryers. Having a working smoke alarm and an escape plan is important in being safe and will help prevent fire related injuries in an emergency.

As you prepare your Thanksgiving meal, be sure to follow these safety tips from the U.S. Fire Administration:

Frying a turkey:

• Use a fryer with thermostat controls. This will ensure the oil does not over heat.
• 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 three feet away from the fryer.
• Always use the fryer outdoors.

General cooking safety:

• Stand by your stove when you are frying, boiling or broiling. If you are in the kitchen, it is easier to catch spills or hazardous conditions before they become a fire.
• 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 toward the back of the stove so you don’t bump them.

Fire Statistics (based on 2014-2018 annual averages):

• Unattended cooking was the leading factor in home cooking fires.
• Cooking caused almost half of all reported home fires and home fire injuries, and it is the second leading cause of home fire deaths in 2014-2018. 
• Clothing was the item first ignited in less than one percent of these fires, but these incidents accounted for 8% of the cooking fire deaths.
• Ranges or cooktops were involved in the 61% of reported home cooking fires, 87% of cooking fire deaths and 78% of cooking fire injuries.
• More than one-quarter of the people killed by cooking fires were sleeping at the time.
• More than half of the non-fatal injuries occurred when people tried to control the fire themselves.
• Frying poses the greatest risk of fire.

Source: National Fire Protection Association


For more fire safety information and resources from the U.S. Fire Administration, click here.