With more car crashes, kitchen accidents, turkey fryer mishaps and holiday decorating hazards, the long Thanksgiving weekend can be a busy time of year for paramedics.
EMSA says injuries can be avoided, however, with some simple precautions.
If you’re driving, plan on there being traffic and give yourself extra time to get to your destination.
If you’re frying a turkey this year, it should be well on its way to being thawed. You should only fry a fully thawed turkey. EMSA paramedics handle a handful of turkey fryer–related incidents each year.
"And it's usually from people who are not operating the fryer under the correct conditions. They're not reading the instructions, they're taking some chances and those fryers — the oil is very hot, and you can be in big trouble pretty quickly," said EMSA spokesman Adam Paluka.
Besides using a fully thawed turkey, EMSA says you should have the fryer in an open area, raise and lower the turkey slowly, and cover bare skin when adding or removing your bird. If a fire occurs, call 911, and don’t try to put it out with water.
The holiday decorating season is in full swing by the end of this week, and the weather will be good for it, eliminating most slip-and-fall concerns, but shocks and burns from strands of lights are always a problem.
"We just encourage people to check every strand of lights. If you need to replace a bulb or need to do some repair, do it while the lights are off, while they're not plugged in," Paluka said. "And make sure you're not overloading any outlets or extension cords. A good rule of thumb is only three sets of lights should be in each extension cord."
If any wires are frayed or cracked, or if the lights have loose connections or broken sockets, you should throw them away. And remember, small bulbs and fuses can be a choking hazard should be kept away from young children.
"And if anything does happen, call 911. Our medics are going to be working this weekend, so they will be there if you need them," Paluka said.
EMSA has more tips in its online holiday safety center.
