Bryan Fire Battalion Chief reminds you to stay safe cooking, decorating this holiday season

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) -Thanksgiving is almost here, so fire up your ovens and gather your loved ones, but perhaps most importantly, make sure you’re celebrating in a safe way.

“Probably the biggest thing is to plan ahead,” Bryan Fire Battalion Chief Gerald Burnett said. “Go ahead and get your shopping done. That way you’re not going at the last minute and you’re not having to run back into town. Try to get your cooking done when you’re awake. Don’t plan on doing a lot of overnight cooking while you’re sleeping.”

The National Fire Protection Association has a whole list of cooking safety tips as well as Thanksgiving safety reminders.

“You don’t have things piled on top of the burners,” Burnett said. “Don’t have a lot of kids in the kitchen, pets in the kitchen, make sure that you’ve got space of at least three feet of working space around you so that you’re not running the risk of burning someone or tripping while you’re trying to work. Make sure your smoke alarms are working.”

Staying safe also extends beyond the kitchen. Take precautions when decorating for the holidays.

“We want to make sure that we’re not getting trees that are really dried out,” Burnett said. “If you’re buying live trees, make sure you keep that thing watered. We don’t want to have overloaded circuits as we’re plugging in Christmas tree lights. Check those strands, make sure they’re working well, make sure you don’t have frayed ends or damaged plugs or outlets.”

The National Fire Protection Association has recommendations for holiday safety and Christmas tree safety.

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