Holiday Cooking Safety Tips: How to Prevent Home Fires and Stay Safe

Learn essential holiday cooking safety tips to prevent home fires and stay safe with family. From testing smoke alarms to avoiding carbon monoxide risks, stay protected this season.

Three Tips to Avoid a Home Fire While Cooking:

1. Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking or ask for help attending the stove and other appliances if you must walk away
2. Use timers as a reminder to turn off heat sources or to wake you up if you nod off
3. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby in the kitchen and educate yourself on when to use it and when to get out of the home and call the fire department

How to Use a Fire Extinguisher

In any fire event, the first priority is to escape the fire safely. However, if the fire is small and confined, it may be appropriate to use a fire extinguisher. To extinguish a small cooking fire with a fire extinguisher, use the PASS method:

• Pull the pin 
• Aim low at the base of the fire 
• Squeeze the handle 
• Sweep from side to side 

In addition to having an extinguisher present, it is also critical to know when a fire cannot be easily and quickly put out. In the event the fire is too large or growing, get out of the house and call the fire department immediately. No holiday meal is worth risking your life. 

The U.S. Fire Administration has a checklist to help you know when to use a fire extinguisher vs. when to evacuate. It also has guidance on what type of fire extinguisher is best based on conditions around your home. Your local fire department is always a good resource for information and training on fire extinguishers.  

Three Holiday Fire & CO Safety Tips:

1. Confirm your smoke alarms and detectors are working properly and meet UL standards
2. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly and check the batteries every six months
3. Ensure portable generators are properly placed outdoors, at least 20 feet from homes, and have a carbon monoxide shutoff that conforms to UL 2201

Where to Put Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms should be installed at least 10 feet from cooking appliances to minimize false alarms while preparing meals or baking cookies for Santa. 

How to Stop a Chirping Smoke Alarm

If your smoke alarm is chirping once every 30-60 seconds, it means the battery is low and needs to be replaced. Once you install a new battery, the chirping will cease. Press and hold the test button to test your alarm. Be prepared to hear a loud, piercing sound, which lets you know the alarm is working. 

If your smoke alarm spontaneously starts emitting a continuous three-pulse signal, get out of your home immediately and call 911. This signal means that the smoke alarm has detected a fire. 

Do Smoke Alarms Detect Carbon Monoxide?

Some alarms are designed to detect both smoke and carbon monoxide, but you shouldn’t assume protection. Check your alarm to see what type of coverage it provides. If you do not have both working smoke alarms and CO alarms, be sure to install them on every level of your home — within 21 ft of any door to a sleeping room, as well as in all sleeping rooms and guest rooms.

Generator Safety: Avoid Carbon Monoxide Risks This Holiday 

If winter weather leads to a power outage, a portable generator can save your holiday plans by offering essential power. If you must use one, only operate generators outdoors at least 20 ft away from your home, and look for a generator that conforms to UL 2201. Generators that conform to UL 2201 limit active CO emissions and will shut off automatically if the product is sensing a high output of carbon monoxide. It is the layer of additional protection that can make sure that if the power goes out, you can still avoid raw turkey for your (candlelit) holiday feast.