Thanksgiving: The holiday of over-indulgence

Police and fire officials say Thanksgiving in Montgomery County is not complete without a turkey and the trimmings — and a deck inferno, a domestic dispute and a sports-related injury.

While the holiday is relatively slow for police, fire and emergency room doctors and nurses, the unusual activities of the day, such as cooking turkeys in big vats of hot oil or backyard football games, translate into trips to the hospital or calls for help.

Thanksgiving Day starts off surprisingly slow for police, as families visiting from out of town tend to travel the night before, making traffic the next morning virtually non-existent, said Montgomery County Police spokesman Cpl. Dan Friz, who has served nearly 17 years on the force.

"It's almost surreal," he said of how quiet the morning can be.

Petty crime is at a standstill, too. Retail stores closed for the holiday means no shoplifting or robberies, Friz said.

as the day progresses into night, however, activity picks up for police, especially domestic disputes, which accounted for five arrests last Thanksgiving, Friz said.

Combining extended family members with already volatile relationships and alcoholic beverages can be a dangerous mix, he said.

"there is an increase in fights and domestic disturbances, usually with the guys," Friz said.

He said built-up resentments seem to come out during the holiday.

Football, the great American pastime, can be of some concern to patrol officers, particularly when a local team plays on Thanksgiving Day, Friz said. Excessive drinking and passionate fans have led to assaults and drunken-driving arrests in the past.

Neither the Washington Redskins nor the Baltimore Ravens are scheduled to play on Thursday.

"[With NFL football] you either have a whole lot of DWI (driving while intoxicated) arrests or disorderly parties," Friz said.

for fire and rescue crews, the day is average.

"Our call load is no different surrounding Thanksgiving," said Assistant Chief Scott Graham, spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services. "The only thing unusual is the stove or oven fire."

Thanks in large part to turkey fryers and inexperienced cooks, Thanksgiving is ranked as the top day for home-cooking fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

"It's one of the more predominant calls we get," Graham said about deep-fryer fires. "They light the deck on fire and the next thing you know thanksgiving dinner is cancelled."

Traffic crashes are few and far between on Thanksgiving Day, but can dominate fire and rescue calls on Wednesday and Sunday evenings as holiday travelers hit the highways. Drunken-driving incidents are not as prevalent as other holidays, Graham said.

"we don't see that as much on Thanksgiving as opposed to new Year's or St. Patrick's Day," he said.

there is no way to predict what sort of action the emergency room at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda will see, but the volume of patients on Thanksgiving Day is often on or less than average compared to any other day, said Dr. Philip Strauss, director of the emergency room at the hospital.

Aside from the common laceration courtesy of a turkey carver, gastrointestinal problems take up a lot of the ER caseload, said Dr. Robert Rothstein, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Suburban Hospital.

as easy as it is to eat, it is easier to overeat and wind up in the hospital. The amount of sugar and sodium that can be consumed during Thanksgiving dinner can lead to dangerous medical complications for those with preexisting conditions like diabetes or kidney disease, the doctors said.

Orthopedic injuries can be prevalent on Thanksgiving, too, thanks in large part to what Strauss referred to as "weekend warriors" — older and often out-of-shape men who come in with ruptured tendons, dislocated shoulders and similar injuries after engaging in an intense game of football.

"It's everything you could imagine," Rothstein said. "Someone's back goes out from picking up a 20-pound turkey or they burn themselves on the oven door."

To keep Thanksgiving safe, stress free and enjoyable, the experts offered basic advice.

If you plan on deep-frying the turkey, make sure to cook it in a vast, open field that offers as much space away from your house as possible, Graham said.

Eat in moderation and try not to overindulge yourself, Rothstein said.

Travel safely and stay healthy, as traveling is a common way for the flu and other infectious, seasonal illness to spread, he said.

and stay indoors, Friz said.

"The other thing that helps us is some people are glued in front of the TV," he said. "Folks sit down in front of the tube after eating an enormous turkey and they fall asleep."

Eat, relax and let the tryptophan kick in.

Montgomery County Police statistics from Thanksgiving 2009

-1st District (Rockville, Potomac, North Potomac): 89 calls for service with 4 criminal arrests for possession of a controlled dangerous substance and 7 DWI arrests.

-2nd District (Bethesda, Kensington): 72 calls for service with 4 DWI arrests. no criminal arrests.

-3rd District (Silver Spring): 132 calls for service with 4 domestic violence arrests, 1 possession of a controlled dangerous substance arrest and 5 DWI arrests.

-4th District (Wheaton, Glenmont, Olney): 144 calls for service with 3 criminal and 5 DWI arrests

-5th District (Germantown): 88 calls for service with 1 domestic violence arrest and 5 DWI arrests

-6th District (Montgomery Village): 129 calls for service with 2 criminal arrests and 12 DWI arrests

Thanksgiving: The holiday of over-indulgence

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