National Fire Prevention Week: October 6-12, 2013 – Kitchen Fire Safety

National Fire Prevention Week is October 6-12, 2013 

The National Fire Protection Association chose “Kitchen Fires: Get Cookin’ With Fire Safety” as this year’s theme. The goal is to call attention to the fact that more fires start in the kitchen than in any other part of the home. Additionally, cooking is the leading cause of home fire injuries.

Read on and talk with your family about these kitchen fire safety tips to improve safety in your own kitchen:

• Always use cooking appliances the way they were designed to be used. Follow directions when you install and operate appliances.
• Never plug microwave ovens or other kitchen appliances into extension cords. Plug them directly into wall outlets.
• Keep your stovetop, burners and oven clean.
• Keep the area around the stove-top burners free of everything that burns: paper towels, grocery bags, pot holders, dish towels, etc.
• Never wear loose clothing when cooking. Clothes can catch fire if they touch a gas flame or electric burner.
• Never leave the room while anything is cooking on the stove. If you leave the kitchen for any period of time, turn off the stove.
• Use the back burners when kids are nearby.
• Turn pot handles and pan handles inward, so children won’t pull them down from the stove.
• Keep young children at least 3 feet away from the stove and from areas where hot food or drinks are being prepared.
• Teach your kids how to prepare food safely and stay close to them while they learn to cook.
• Keep a fully-charged ABC fire extinguisher in or near the kitchen, but don’t store it in a cabinet above the stove.
• Never use aluminum foil or metal objects in a microwave oven.
• Never use the stove or oven to heat your house.

If a fire starts in a stove-top pan, put on an oven mitt, cover the pan with a lid, and turn off the burner. Never put water on a grease fire. If a fire starts in your oven, close the door, turn off the heat and call the fire department. If your clothes catch on fire, stop immediately, drop to the ground and roll over or back and forth to put out the fire. Treat burns by putting them in cool water for 3 to 5 minutes. If the burn is bigger than your fist, if the skin is blistered or charred, or if you aren’t sure how to treat it, get professional medical treatment immediately.

SAFETY REMINDER: If you smoke, put your cigarette out if you feel drowsy or sleepy. Too many home fires are caused by smoking materials.

Learn more at: https://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/fire-prevention-week