Thanksgiving is right around the corner! On this episode of Minute with the Mayor, Mayor John Huffman is joined by Fire Marshal Kelly Clements to talk about safety precautions to keep your turkey day stuffed full of fun and festivities.

Traditions can come in all forms, whether that be cooking with the little ones, watching the Thanksgiving parade on television, or playing tackle football outside. “With all the hectic schedule going on, everything we have, sometimes we forget to be safe,” said Clements.

Thanksgiving is the leading day of the year for home fires involving cooking equipment, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and to mitigate this risk for your family, here are a few safety tips to follow:

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking. Do not leave your food unattended.
• Keep flammable objects like wooden cooking utensils, packaging, towels, oven mitts, etc., away from an open flame or stovetop.
• Keep electric cords from dangling over countertops to avoid children pulling appliances down.
• Blow out candles and remove them from the edges of the counter.

If there is a fire, the best thing you can do is to get out immediately with family members and pets. Many civilians who are injured in home fires are often injured by trying to fight the fire themselves, according to the NFPA. Call 9-1-1 and get to a safe location so experts can help. 
In addition to his Thanksgiving wishes, Mayor Huffman also expressed his appreciation for the Fire Department and the City as a whole. “I hope this Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of family, fun, food, fellowship, and a time to reflect on all the blessings we’ve been given. We live in an incredible community,” said Mayor Huffman.

For more information about the Protect Southlake Team, please visit our website.