Cooking is the leading cause of residential fires year-round, but such fires peak on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Christmas Eve. Gwinnett firefighters urge you to stay safe with these practical home fire safety tips:

• Use a timer to remind you that something’s cooking
• Turn off stove burners if you have to leave the kitchen
• Keep flammable materials away from the cooktop
• Don’t wear loose or dangling clothes while cooking
• Keep kids and pets away from heat and open flames
• Don’t cook when sleepy or after drinking too much alcohol
• Install and maintain smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
• Have a household fire escape plan and hold fire drills
• Escape a fire quickly – call 911 from outside
• Bonfires, burning yard waste, and fireworks are banned until the drought ends
• Grilling, smoking, and campfires are banned in County parks temporarily

GCPD’s Holiday Task Force activated Thanksgiving night and continues through New Year’s Eve with an increased police pres­ence at major retail outlets around the county. Gwinnett police officers offer these tips for safe holiday shopping and travel:

• Park your vehicle in a well-lit area
• Shop with others and allow retail employees to help you get packages to your vehicle
• Don’t carry large amounts of cash and use secure forms of payment
• Observe your surroundings and report any suspicious or loitering persons
• Store packages in the trunk of your vehicle
• When traveling, arrange for someone to collect your mail and newspapers
• Do not announce travel plans on answering machines or social networking sites
• Do not drink and drive – call a taxi or use a designated driver

Visit www.GwinnettSafety411.com for more tips on staying safe during the holidays.