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Your hungry family is home, and all the ingredients are on the kitchen countertop. All that’s left to do is cook the meal. But before you light the burner or preheat the oven, remind yourself that the kitchen is where most fires in the home start. Remember the following tips so your kitchen stays free of fire hazards.
Kitchen Fire Safety Must-Haves
Every kitchen should have the following safety essentials on hand:
- Fire Extinguisher: An ABC Dry Chemical fire extinguisher is the best option since it won’t accelerate grease fires. Read the instructions, and know how to operate it.
- Smoke Detector: A smoke detector with a pause button is best in case of false alarms. Neighboring rooms to the kitchen should also have smoke detectors.
- Oven Mitts: Protect those hands with a thick, durable pair.
Safe Home Cookin'
Be a safe chef in your home by remembering these safety practices, and prevent a fire from ever starting:
- Don’t leave your cooking unattended. Checking your email or watching TV can wait until you’ve switched off the burner.
- Keep cooking area clean to prevent grease buildup.
- Have nothing flammable near the stove. Keep curtains, potholders, dishtowels, food packaging, and Mom’s recipe cards away from the stove.
- Roll up your sleeves, tuck in your shirt, and pin back long hair.
- Heat cooking oil slowly. Be patient with those French fries; heating oil too quickly can easily start a fire.
Cooking Safe With Your Little Chefs
It may be unavoidable for kids to resist the pleasant smells wafting from the kitchen. Kids often want to help cook, so bear in mind the following tips:
- Enforce a “kid-free zone.” Young children should be kept at least 3 feet away from the stove while older family members are cooking to avoid accidents and spills.
- Use the back burners, and turn pot handles toward the center of the range. This will keep hot items out of a child’s reach and reduce the risk of spills.
- Teach children that hot things can burn.
- Never hold a child while cooking.
If A Cooking Fire Starts:
- Water and grease don't mix. In the event of a grease fire, NEVER POUR WATER ON IT. It will spread. Use a fire extinguisher, or when in doubt, get out and call for help.
- Put a lid on it. If a pan catches fire, slide a lid over the pan and turn off the stove burner. Leave the lid on until it is completely cool.
- Keep the oven or microwave door shut if fire starts. Turn off the heat. If the flames do not go out immediately, get out and call for help.
- Stop, drop, and roll. If your clothes catch fire, smother them on the kitchen floor before getting out of the house.
Now watch this video to review these tips and see the results of careless cooking:
Learning Center Forum Topic
Have you had a kitchen fire?
- 1 Comment
- Dan Starbuck on Aug 29, 2011 9:08 AM
Yes, I have had a kitchen fire, which is kind of embarassing because I have been involved in the fire protection community for more than 25 years, which proves that it CAN happen to ANYBODY. In my case, I was trying to make some cottage fries (a Southern version of fried potatoes). I put the oil in the cast iron skillet, put a lid over the top, and turned the stove on so the grease would be HOT when I was ready to put the potatoes in. Well the lid didn't fit securely, and it took me longer to prepare the potatoes than I expected, and the oil caught on fire. (not my finest moment.) The fact that the lid didn't fit securely probably saved my life because if it had, I would have probably had a flash fire when I lifted the lid to put the potatoes in. I left the lid on, turned off the stove, and extinguished the remainder of the fire with a short blast of the fire extinguisher. (Believe me when I say that the dry chemical goes everywhere.) I share the story to prove that even the act of preparing the food can be a distraction, so you have to stay alert at ALL times that the stove is on.
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