Thanksgiving
Day is usually full of food, family and football. Southern
California Edison (SCE) reminds its customers to add safety to the list
since cooking fires are three times more likely on Turkey Day than any
other day, according to the National
Fire Protection Association.
Cooking equipment, overloaded circuits and extension cords are leading
causes of electrical accidents and home fires during the holiday season,
according to the Electrical
Safety Foundation International. About 2,000 fires occur annually in
the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day, causing an average of five fatalities, 15
injuries and $21 million in property damage, said the U.S.
Fire Administration (USFA).
“An increase in indoor activities combined with cooking and entertaining
family and friends can cause many customers to forget basic home
safety,” said Bill Messner, principal manager of Health and Safety at
SCE. “Safety should never take a holiday.”
The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking, said
the USFA. Never leave cooking equipment or appliances, such as toaster
ovens, unattended. Turn them off if you leave the room. Another key
precaution is to check for the Underwriters
Laboratories (UL) mark on appliances. UL is the leading independent
product safety organization and is a trusted symbol among consumers and
manufacturers.
SCE recommends some other safety tips for Thanksgiving:
-
Plug countertop appliances into Ground
Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)-protected outlets.
-
Replace appliances that have frayed electrical cords. Contact with
them can cause electric shock and serious injury.
-
When using electrical appliances, keep electric cords out of reach of
children.
-
Do not overload outlets with multiple adaptors or power strips.
-
Do not use extension cords with major appliances.
-
Unplug appliances that aren’t in use, preventing them from being
turned on accidentally.
-
Locate all appliances away from the sink. Remember that water and
electricity do not mix.
-
Never fight an electrical or grease fire with water. Keep a fire
extinguisher, UL listed and rated for electrical fires and grease,
nearby.
For more on electrical safety at home, visit www.sce.com/safety.
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About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison
is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population
of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a
50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern
California.
Copyright Business Wire 2013