Fire Prevention Week - Cooking Safely Tips

Did you know, cooking equipment causes 49% of all U.S. home fires, 21% of the home fire deaths, and 45% of the injuries, on average each year. Before you serve a meal, it’s essential to serve up fire safety in the kitchen. There’s nothing like spending time in the kitchen cooking a delicious meal for family and friends or an appetizing treat for yourself. But do you know the important steps to take long before anyone takes the first bite?

Cook with Caution:

• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop.

• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.

• If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.

• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.
• A scald injury can happen at any age. Children, older adults and people with disabilities are especially at risk. Hot liquids from bath water, hot coffee and even microwaved soup can cause devastating injuries.

• With busy lives, families rely on the microwave oven as a quick way to heat up a meal, warm up a drink or defrost dinner. While the convenience of the microwave oven is something we take for granted, safety should not be.

If you have a small (grease) cooking fire and decide to fight the fire:

• In an oven: turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
• On the stovetop: smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.

If you have any doubts fighting the small kitchen fire, here is what to do:

• Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.

• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number from outside the home