As we head into the Thanksgiving weekend, Cochrane Fire Services wants to make sure you're serving up SAFETY as your main course.

Fire Inspector Jeff Avery says that kitchen safety hazards are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries. He says that in recent years, the culprit behind most Thanksgiving mishaps involves deep-frying turkey.

"We'll see a few mishaps usually on the weekend," explains Avery. "Deep-frying turkey is getting more and more popular so just follow the specific rules, make sure you're not deep-frying on a wooden deck or around anywhere combustible."

Avery says to never ever attempt to deep-fry a frozen turkey, and he strongly recommends double and even triple-checking that there's no water inside.

He says that when people are busy preparing a large holiday meal they often forget some of the everyday kitchen safety rules of thumb.

"Keep the [pot] handles turned away so kids aren't going to be able to grab them and pull a pot down on themselves," reminds Avery. "Know what to do if a fire happens on the stove. Smother it with a towel if you can, call 9-1-1 and we'll come and help you."

Avery says that every household should have a fire extinguisher stored in an easy-to-access place. He says they're easy to use and he offers some helpful hints.

"You just have to remember the acronym P.A.S.S., " explains Avery. " [The] 'P' that just simply means pull the pin, 'A' means aim at the base of the fire, 'S' means squeeze the handle and the last 'S' is sweep back and forth."

Avery is reminding residents not to leave the stove unattended while cooking is in progress. He says "that is a recipe for disaster."