UAB practitioner warns of dangers of Thanksgiving cooking fires
As you begin organizing a large family feast, a UAB physician assistant suggests staying attentive in the kitchen to avoid an emergency.
The UAB Burn Center offers care to hundreds of burn patients a year, with kitchen-related burns making up a significant percentage.
鈥淲e do tend to see an increase in those types of injuries as we get closer to the holidays,鈥� UAB Trauma and Burn Center physician assistant Jared Morrison said.
Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, a five-minute distraction often leading to a life-threatening injury.
鈥淪omebody's just making a quick bite to eat and has to run to the bathroom or go check on their kid, and they come back and the stove is on fire,鈥� Morrison said.
UAB urges Central Alabamians to stay attentive in the kitchen this Thanksgiving. Some ways you can avoid an injury are:
- Staying in the kitchen when cooking
- Setting timers
- Keeping children away from hot surfaces
- Making sure smoke alarms are working
鈥淓veryone is going to be busy with family around and wanting to have fun, but I would say, just to make sure that you slow down when you're in the kitchen and pay attention to what you're doing,鈥� Morrison said.
If you or a family member does get burned, you should cool the burn down immediately with lukewarm water and then seek medical care.