Millions of people will gather for Thanksgiving to enjoy time with loved ones and a delicious holiday dinner. With cooking being the number one cause of home fires, the Hawaii Red Cross recommends that everyone follow these fire safety steps:

1. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year if your smoke alarm requires it.

2. Don’t wear loose clothing or sleeves that dangle while cooking.

3. If you are frying, grilling or broiling food, never leave it unattended – stay in the kitchen. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.

4. If you’re simmering, baking, roasting or broiling food, check it regularly.

5. Use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.

6. Keep kids and pets away from the cooking area. Make them stay at least three feet away from the stove.

7. Keep anything that can catch fire - pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, towels or curtains - away from your stove, oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.

8. Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.

9. Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving the home to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.

10. Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen. Contact your local fire department to take training on the proper use of extinguishers.

Bonus Tip

The American Red Cross First Aid App provides expert advice for common mishaps or emergencies including cuts, burns and what to do if someone is choking. Download the app for free in your app store or text GETFIRST to 90999.

Help Sound the Alarm

Every day, 7 Americans perish in home fires.  Smoke alarms cut the rate of death in half.  With the support of 4,400 partner organizations, the Red Cross has helped to make more than one million people safer by installing free smoke alarms in the homes of vulnerable populations like the elderly and disabled, assisting families with developing fire escape plans and providing home fire safety education.  Since 2014, 285 lives have been saved nationwide through the Sound the Alarm campaign.

Join this Red Cross effort today by volunteering to install smoke alarms in your community, making a financial contribution, or taking steps to protect your own family from home fires. Together, we can Sound the Alarm about fire safety and help save lives. Visit SoundTheAlarm.org/hawaii for more information.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.