(KFVS) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year roughly one in six Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.

In Illinois, it is estimated that as many as 250,000 cases of foodborne illness may occur each year. However, because these illnesses can be mild and because the vast majority of them occur in the home, many go unreported.

(KFVS) - The American Red Cross is offering some safety steps to use while preparing the Thanksgiving feast.

“We want folks to have a safe holiday,” said Chris Harmon, Chief Emergency Service Officer “We have steps they can follow to avoid ruining their holiday with a cooking fire.”

According to the Red Cross, the cooks should start by not wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking. Never leave cooking food unattended, stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If someone must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, they should turn off the stove. Other safety steps include:

(KFVS) - The International Association of Fire Chiefs is reminding residents to change their smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries when they change their clocks for Daylight Savings Time.

October is National Fire Prevention Month and the time will change Nov. 4. IAFC is partnering with Energizer in effort to save lives.

According to IAFC, a home without a working smoke detector can be hazardous, even deadly. They say 38 percent of all deadly fire injuries happen in homes without a working smoke detector.

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