With the holiday season fast approaching, here are some fire safety tips to keep safe.

Cooking safely

The leading cause of fires in the kitchen, according to the Fire Department, is unattended cooking. Here are a few tips to keep your home safe while cooking:

✓ Use oven mitts or potholders when moving hot food from ovens, microwave ovens, or stovetops. Never use wet oven mitts or potholders as they can cause burns. Remember to keep combustibles like potholders and paper towels away from the stove.

✓ Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle and catch fire if it comes into contact with a stove burner.

✓ Plug microwave ovens and other cooking appliances directly into an outlet and never use an extension cord since it will overload the circuit and cause a fire.

✓ Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food, and if you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.

✓ Never use an oven to heat your home or for any other purpose besides cooking.

✓ Turn pot handles away from the stove's edge to prevent the pan from being knocked or pulled off the stove.

✓ Never leave cooking

unattended.

Holiday lights

Holiday lights help make the season beautiful. They can also cause fires.

To keep your family safe:

✓ Look at each string of lights carefully. If any are cracked or damaged, buy new ones.

✓ When you buy new lights, look at the box for a label that shows they have been tested for safety.

✓ Do not plug in too many things at one time. This may cause an overload of electrical outlets. Use power strips or surge protectors instead.

✓ Unplug all holiday lights when you go to sleep or leave home.

✓ Do not put electrical cords over doors or under rugs. Try to keep them away from places people walk.

✓ When replacing a holiday bulb, be sure to use the correct bulb size (wattage) that is right for the fixture.

✓ Use safety caps to keep children from putting things into electrical receptacles/outlets.