The American Red Cross wants to remind everyone of important safety issues to help ensure a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Since Thanksgiving usually involves preparing lots of food, cooking safety should be a priority. Unfortunately, cooking fires are more likely to occur on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year according to the National Fire Protection Association.

The Red Cross offers the following tips to prevent home fires this Thanksgiving:

-Monitor your cooking at all times. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of Thanksgiving Day home fires.

-Keep potholders and food wrappers at least three feet away from heat sources while cooking.

-Wear tighter fitting clothing with shorter sleeves when cooking.

-Make sure all stoves and ranges have been turned off when you leave the kitchen, and that ovens are turned off when you leave the house.

-Set timers to keep track of turkeys and other food items that require extended cooking times.

-Turn handles of pots and pans on the stove inward to avoid accidents.

-Follow all manufacturer guidelines regarding the appropriate use of appliances.

-After guests leave, designate a responsible adult to walk around the home, making sure that all candles and smoking materials are extinguished.

Finally, it’s important for every household to make sure to have working smoke alarms. The Red Cross encourages people to install smoke alarms on every level of their house and outside sleeping areas and to test the batteries once a month.

Even with the best preparation and precautions, accidents can happen.Cooking-related burns are a common hazard of the Thanksgiving holiday. For a superficial burn, cool the area by running it under cold water until the heat eases and then loosely cover the burn with a sterile dressing to help prevent infection. A critical burn requires medical attention.

For more Red Cross fire safety and first aid information visit Redcross.org.

Mary Kinard is the executive director for the Shelby/Bibb Red Cross.