October 5, 2010, 2010 (Toronto, ON) – Deep frying a turkey can produce succulent and moist meat, but it can also cause a fire capable of engulfing your entire home. If you choose to deep fry a turkey please take the proper safety precaution and review these important safety tips.

Never Inside: Never ever cook a deep fried turkey inside your house or on/in any structure attached to your house - including the deck or the garage.

A Level Base: To avoid the risk of your turkey-pot tipping over ensure it is placed on a sturdy, level base.

Temperature Control: Most turkey fryers don't have a thermostat. Use a thermometer to check that the temperature is in a safe zone. If the oil begins to smoke, turn the burner off right away.

Complete Thaw: Partially frozen meat houses extra water, this extra water can cause the pot to over flow. Make sure the turkey is completely thawed before you cook it.

Below the Line: Avoid over filling the pot as it may overflow.

Hands Off: Don't touch the pot it is extremely hot, even hours after you've turned it off the oil will retain its heat - be careful!

Slow and Steady: When adding/removing food from the fryer do so slowly. This will decrease the likelihood of overflow or grease burns.

Be Fire Ready: Have a fire extinguisher and phone to call 9-1-1 on hand incase the pot gets out of control. Do NOT attempt to extinguish the fire with water, water and oil do not mix and throwing water in the hot oil will cause the grease to pop and overflow.

Never Out of Site: Never leave your turkey pot unsupervised while you are cooking.

For over 125 years, St. John Ambulance has been training over 140,000 Ontarians annually in first aid and other health care related courses and remains dedicated to saving lives at work, home and play. With over 4,000 volunteers contributing over half a million hours of community service a year, St. John Ambulance is an integral part of the community offering such unique and innovative programs as; medical first response, disaster response, car seat clinics, health and safety related youth programs and therapy dog services. As a charitable, humanitarian organization, proceeds from St. John Ambulance’s first aid training and first aid product sales directly support these vital community services programs. For more information on St. John Ambulance training courses and volunteer opportunities or to contact your local branch, visit www.sja.ca/on