This year, the theme of Fire Prevention Week (October 6-12, 2013) is “Prevent Kitchen Fires.” More fires start in the kitchen than in any other part of the home, accounting for 40% of all home fires.
Among the safety tips that firefighters and safety advocates will be emphasizing this week are:
- Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling, or boiling food.
- If you must leave the room, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- When you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home, and use a timer to remind you.
- If you have young children, use the stove’s back burners whenever possible. Keep children and pets at least three away from the stove.
- When you cook, wear clothing with tight-fitting or short sleeves.
- Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper and plastic bags, towels, and anything else that can burn, away from your stovetop.
- Clean up food and grease from burners and stovetops.
According to a spokesperson at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): “Often when we’re called to a fire that started in the kitchen, the residents tell us that they only left the kitchen for a few minutes. Sadly, that’s all it takes for a dangerous fire to start. We hope that Fire Prevention Week will help us reach folks in the community before they’ve suffered a damaging lesson.”
To learn more, visit the website for the NFPA: www.nfpa.org
Special Resources for Kids
If you have kids, you can download a free Fire Safety App called Sparky’s Birthday Surprise. The app contains games, activities, coloring pages, and animation. To get the app for iOS or Android: Sparkyschoolhouse.org
For a kid-friendly Kitchen Safety Checklist: SAFETY CHECKLIST