The Thanksgiving holiday is supposed to be one of celebrating and feasting with your family and friends. Along with the festivities, however, comes a few risks that could be devastating if not quickly attended to. Taking care of these risks and protecting your family should be a top priority. Being proactive can greatly reduce your risk of fire damage and lower the possibility of injuries.
Deep frying your turkey is one of the most popular ways of cooking your bird. Your butterball can turn into a fireball if you don't take the proper precautions. Any time you use a deep fryer or a gas grill, make sure to pull it outside of your garage or shed. Place it far enough away from the structure that it won't catch your home on fire if an accident occurs.
Cooking fires can occur at any time of the year. Long sleeves or long hair will quickly catch fire if it gets too close to the flame on a gas stove. Always keep anything flammable away from the surface of your stove and turn all of the handles to the middle so the pots and pans won't get bumped or pulled off by small hands. Your home insurance will cover most types of cooking fires unless they are intentionally set. Although it isn't common practice to intentionally set your home on fire, this may occur if you serve a dish that is lit during the serving process.
As the weather turns colder, many people will start to build fires in their fireplaces and wood-burning stoves. Candles may also be more prevalent. Any time you have an open flame, your risk of having a fire will dramatically increase. Be careful to not let children play around open flames, and keep all flammable materials a safe distance away. Keep your fireplace gates in place, and make sure candles are out of reach. Never leave an open flame unattended.
If you serve any kind of poultry or fowl for your Thanksgiving feast, you need to be aware of your risk of food poisoning. Both chicken and turkey can cause food poisoning if not prepared properly. It can also occur if you don't sufficiently clean and disinfect your cooking area after handling raw meat. Always make sure your poultry is fully cooked before serving it to your guests, and make sure everything used in the meat's preparation is carefully cleaned and sanitized.
Drinking and driving is a major concerns during the holidays. If you are hosting a party where your guests are allowed to consume alcohol, you may want to set some limits. It is also a good idea to offer a designated driver or free taxi rides home. If someone is intoxicated when they leave your home and gets involved in a car accident, you may have to rely on the liability portion of your homeowners' policy to pay a portion of their medical bills.
At Spotlight Insurance Agency, our agents would like to take this time to wish all of our customers a very happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday! We look forward to serving you in the future!
