Mapping The Insurance Maze

It’s that time of the year, and if you’re like me and my family, November is the month of giving thanks, and adding on a pound or two for all the delicious food.

For insurance though, it’s honestly one of the craziest months. Auto accidents rise, due to travel. Thefts increase due to increased online and holiday shopping. Water claims increase, because the change in weather often causes pipes to freeze and burst, and last but definitely not least, fires tend to have their way.

Today, we are going to look at something that most people don’t think about – Cooking Fires. Most don’t associate kitchen and cooking fires with the holidays, however, November is typically one of the more higher months for a fire to occur. Let’s talk about fried fires. While I love me some fried turkey (once you have it, you won’t go back to regular oven roasted), if you do not know what you are doing, DON’T DO IT! I strongly recommend that you have someone who has fried a turkey before to make it for you, or you pay for a service to have it prepared, and fried for you. This is not something that you wait on a whim, look at video on line, and try yourself. In this 2020 video, the Phoenix Fire Dept. demonstrates just how dangerous frying turkeys can be.

You may ask, “well Mike, why does that matter?”
Well let’s see, if you enjoy having your eyebrows singed, and your turkey wings extra-crispy…by all means. (LOL) However, in all seriousness, cooking fires, especially for the Thanksgiving holiday ranged about 1,000+ every year, often causing serious damage, and death. In Boston, a turkey fire caused over 27 people to be displaced, because the building was set a blaze from a deep fried turkey fire. Check it out.

While, I am not going to steer anyone in any direction, my purpose is to educate, and help reduce the possibility of a loss, that said, if you do decide to fry, here’s some tips. (This isn’t a complete and exhaustive list)

1. Always fry the turkey outside, and have it at least 20-30 feet away from any building.
2. Never fry a frozen turkey – it will likely cause an explosion due to the ice turning to water, and hitting hot oil.
3. Always use proper personal protective equipment (grease gloves, aprons, goggles etc.)
4. Use proper cooking equipment (large frying pots, proper oil types)
5. Prior to dropping the turkey in the oil – TURN THE FIRE OFF!

I want you and your family to see next Thanksgiving, without having a fire loss.

If you don’t have insurance, whether you’re a Homeowner or Renter, I strongly encourage you to get it, it could save your financial life.

Happy Holidays folks…and I will see you in the next one.

~Mike The Insurance Guy

YouTube. (2019). Firefighters Show Dangers of Deep-Frying Thanksgiving Turkey. YouTube. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONR6gYmT2UE. 

YouTube. (2020). YouTube. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcH0cgKLwls.