This year the theme for Fire Prevention Week is “Prevent Cooking Fires.” Cooking fires are fairly common, and can quickly become out of control. It is important to remember that safety in your kitchen should be a high priority. Here are five things you should do to help prevent cooking fires.
1) You should stay in the kitchen while you are cooking food on the stove. This is especially true if you are firing items, as these may ignite quickly. It is important that you keep an eye on the foods that you are cooking so that you can remain safe, as well as your family.
2) Clean up any cooking spills right away. The food that you spill may ignite if you do not clean your drip pans. If you spill oil or grease, you need to make sure that you clean it up immediately, because they are especially hazardous.
3) Be careful of what you place on burners, because the burners might accidentally get turned on. I remember as a child walking into the kitchen one day to find the stove on fire. My mom was in the shower, and I ran to get her. She had left bread, covered with towels, on top of the stove to rise. My sister had wandered into the kitchen climbed on top of the counter and managed to turn on the stove. It was a scary experience for us.
4) If you are baking items or using your oven, you should remain at home, and check on the food frequently. This will prevent a fire from starting. If one does start, it is less likely to become out of control.
5) It is important to make sure that you have a Class B fire extinguisher in your kitchen, just in case something does happen. Never use water to put out a cooking fire. It is better to smother the fire because water will spread a grease fire.