It wouldn't be fall without crisp air, pumpkin-spice-latte-sipping locals pretending they live somewhere that requires sweaters, an influx of Canadian license plates, and -- of course -- the annual warning from the Broward Sheriff's Office that if you're an idiot, maybe you shouldn't be deep-frying a turkey next Thursday.
The BSO news releases aren't usually the agency's hardest-hitting items. Recent releases include "Burglars Creep While Victims Sleep" and "Deerfield Beach Paints the Town Pink." Messy stuff like deputy-involved shootings tend not to show up there. But every year, right on cue, comes the annual briefing on turkeys.
And that's not all: BSO deputies stage a demonstration for the hungry media.
Unfortunately, your Pulp correspondents missed the annual parking-lot turkey demo yesterday, but the Sun-Sentinel was on scene recording video. Spokesman Mike Jachles reminded the public that Thanksgiving Day boasts more household fires than any other day of the year.
In protective suits, firefighters also demonstrated what it's like to fry a turkey while dumb, including a spillover of hot oil that could spark a fire.
"Consumer-grade turkey fryers use a substantial quantity of cooking oil at high temperatures and pose a significant danger that hot oil will be released at some point during the cooking process," wrote Jachles in the accompanying release.
Most of the fires on Thanksgiving Day, statistics show, happen between noon and 4 p.m., totaling around 2,000 incidents nationwide. And as is the case with the Fourth of July, we're sure a few people who don't heed the BSO's warning will end up splashing burning oil everywhere this year.
Just don't say they didn't warn ya.
"We want our residents to have a safe and enjoyable holiday, so this is a good time for a safety-tip refresher," Sheriff Al Lamberti said.
Stefan Kamph is a New Times staff writer.
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