11/18/2025
With Thanksgiving celebrations approaching and temperatures expected to drop, Enterprise Fire Department Chief Christopher Davis is reminding residents to practice safe cooking habits, take responsible steps to protect their pets, and maintain working smoke alarms. 🦃
Thanksgiving continues to rank as the number one day for home cooking fires in the United States. Chief Davis said the combination of busy kitchens, multiple dishes cooking at once, and holiday distractions can create a dangerous environment if safety is not a priority.
"For many families, the kitchen becomes the center of activity on Thanksgiving," Davis said. "As you prepare your meal, please stay alert and focused so everyone can enjoy the holiday without emergency responders being called to your home."
According to updated data from the National Fire Protection Association, an estimated 1,446 home cooking fires were reported on Thanksgiving Day in 2023, which was nearly four times the daily average. Unattended cooking remains the leading contributing factor.
Many families enjoy fried turkey for their holiday meal. Davis encouraged residents to support local businesses and let the professionals handle it.
"If you want a fried turkey for your Thanksgiving meal, we encourage you to let the professionals handle it," Davis said. "Purchasing a fried turkey from a local restaurant or business is the safest way to enjoy it. Fried turkeys can be extremely dangerous when done at home and leaving it to trained staff reduces the risk of burns, fires, and property damage."
He also offered general cooking safety reminders:
🔥 Stay in the kitchen while cooking on the stovetop
🔥Stay in the home when cooking your turkey and check on it frequently
🔥Keep children at least three feet away from the stove, hot food, and hot liquids
🔥Make sure appliance cords are not hanging where children can pull them down
🔥Keep anything that can burn such as towels, packaging, or utensils away from heat sources
🔥Keep knives, lighters, and matches out of the reach of children
🔥 Never leave children alone in a room with a lit candle
With temperatures expected to fall in the coming weeks, Davis emphasized that safety also applies to outdoor animals.
"Unfortunately, we often see fires start when people try to warm outdoor kennels using heat lamps or other open heat sources," Davis said. "While the intention is to care for pets, these devices can easily tip, overheat, ignite bedding, or start a structure fire, leading to tragic outcomes."
To protect pets safely, he offered the following recommendations:
🐾Do not use heat lamps or open heat sources in kennels
🐾Avoid using straw or other flammable bedding near heat sources
🐾Provide a well-insulated, draft-free shelter with a wind-protected door
🐾Use only UL listed heated kennel pads made for animals with protected cords and temperature limits and plug directly into a GFCI outlet
🐾 Bring pets indoors when possible
"A few careful choices can prevent injuries, property loss, and heartbreak," Davis said. "Keeping pets warm and safe is part of taking care of the whole family."
Chief Davis also reminded residents that having a working smoke alarm is the single most important step in home fire safety.
"Smoke detectors reduce your risk of dying in a house fire by nearly half, but they only work if you maintain them," Davis said. "If you don’t change the batteries or test them regularly, they won’t alert you in an emergency. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Having a working smoke alarm saves lives, and our goal is to make sure every home in the City of Enterprise is protected."
Enterprise provides free smoke detectors to residents in need and encourages everyone to maintain interconnected alarms whenever possible. Residents are urged to change batteries at least twice a year with the time change, test alarms weekly, and replace units as needed to maintain full protection.
For more information or assistance with smoke alarms, contact the Enterprise Fire Department at (334) 348-2641 or visit https://enterprisefd.com/services/smoke_detector_program.php
