Fire Safety

Thanksgiving Kitchen Safety: Fires, Turkey Fryers and Choking

By Gene Jolley, AHA Heartsaver® Instructor · October 26, 2026

Real emergency right now? Call 911 first. The dispatcher will coach you.

Thanksgiving fire safety matters more than most people think: it is the number one day of the year for home cooking fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. A full house, a busy stove and a lot of hot oil add up fast. Here is how to keep the day safe.

Rule number one: never leave the stove while something is frying, boiling or broiling. Most kitchen fires start when the cook walks away.

1. If a pan catches fire

1. Never use water on a grease fire. It makes burning oil explode outward.
2. Slide a lid or a cookie sheet over the pan to smother it.
3. Turn off the burner. Leave the lid on until the pan is completely cool.
4. Oven fire: turn it off and keep the door closed.
5. If the fire is spreading, get everyone out and call 911 from outside.

2. Use a fire extinguisher the right way: PASS

Keep the extinguisher near the kitchen exit, not over the stove, so you can grab it on the way out. Only fight a small fire, and always keep your exit behind you. Glance at the gauge now: the needle should be in the green.

3. Turkey fryer safety

• Fry outdoors only, at least 10 feet from the house. Never in a garage, on a porch or on a wooden deck.
• Thaw the turkey completely and pat it dry. Ice and water make hot oil boil over.
• Do a water test first: put the turkey in the empty pot, fill with water to cover it, then remove the turkey. That waterline is your oil fill line.
• Turn the burner off before lowering the turkey in. Turn it back on after.
• Wear long oven mitts and keep kids and pets well back.

4. Burn first aid

1. Cool the burn under cool running water for about 10 minutes.
2. Do not use ice, butter or ointment on a fresh burn.
3. Remove rings or tight items near the burn before it swells.
4. Cover it loosely with a clean, dry dressing.
5. Call 911 for large burns, or burns on the face, hands, feet or groin.

5. Choking at the dinner table

Big bites, talking while eating and dry turkey are a classic choking setup. If someone can cough hard, let them cough. If they can't talk, cough or breathe:

1. Ask, "Are you choking? Can I help?" Have someone call 911.
2. 5 back blows: support their chest with one hand, lean them forward, and give 5 firm blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your other hand.
3. 5 abdominal thrusts: stand behind them, fist just above the belly button, other hand over your fist, quick inward and upward thrusts.
4. Keep alternating 5 and 5 until the food comes out.
5. If they stop responding, lower them to the floor and start CPR.

New in 2025: the American Heart Association now teaches back blows alternating with abdominal thrusts for choking adults and children. If you learned "abdominal thrusts only," this is the update.

6. Before guests arrive

• Test every smoke alarm. Push the button and hold it until it sounds. Here's the 10-minute alarm check.
• Keep a 3-foot "kid-free zone" around the stove.
• Turn pot handles in so no one bumps them.
• Check that your fire extinguisher gauge is in the green.

Put our free CPR and fire extinguisher pocket card on the fridge before the crowd shows up.

Sources

• National Fire Protection Association: Thanksgiving cooking fires and turkey fryer safety, nfpa.org
• American Heart Association, 2025 Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (choking), cpr.heart.org
• American Red Cross: burn first aid, redcross.org

This guide is general safety information, not medical advice or a code inspection. It does not replace a hands-on CPR or first aid class. Product recommendations are my own and are not endorsed by the American Heart Association.