By Tom Kiurski
We don’t normally think that starting an unwanted fire in the kitchen is a good thing to do. Most of our citizens would not throw a kitchen cloth onto a burning stove, intentionally help spread a fire from a pan to the cupboards, or add additional oxygen to get the fire going faster – but it happens in this country far too often. Let’s take a look at how we can use some safety sense in the kitchen to reduce our citizens’ chances of having an unwanted fire.
Cooking is the leading cause of fires and civilian fire injuries in the United States. Two out of three reported home cooking fires start with the range or stove and usually when food, grease, rags, bags, cabinets, curtains, or other common household items ignite. In 2001 alone, there were more than 117,000 home fires involving cooking equipment. These cooking fires resulted in 370 civilian deaths, 4,290 civilian injuries and about $453 million in property damage. And those statistics reflect just those fires that were reported.
The main reason cited for kitchen fires is inattention. Whether leaving the room or leaving the house with the stove on, this action can cause plenty of damage. Often at home, attention is diverted for a short period by the doorbell, phone, radio, television, children, or a pet. Other times, after cooking has started, people forget about it. Once started, the fire can easily spread beyond the initial pot to other combustibles in the area.
Here are some safety tips for your citizens to consider when they are cooking:
- Never leave cooking unattended, and monitor food in the oven.
- Wear short sleeves or tight-fitting clothes so they can avoid loose clothing coming into contact with hot objects.
- If clothing catches fire, remind them of the “Stop, Drop and Roll” behavior to put the fire out.
- Keep kids away from the cooking area by setting up a 3-foot area around the stove that kids should avoid. Keep them close enough to watch, but away from hot objects.
- Use oven mitts when handling hot cooking items.
- Don’t cook when are tired or have taken medicine to help sleep.
- If a pan of food catches fire, don’t use water. Slide the lid over the top and shut off the heat to the burner.
- If there is a fire in the oven, shut off the heat to the unit and keep the door closed.
Finally, remind your citizens that a call to the fire department will bring fast and professional help. They should not hesitate to call us for any emergency situation that they cannot handle.
Tom Kiurski is a lieutenant, a paramedic, and the director of fire safety education for Livonia (MI) Fire & Rescue. His book, Creating a Fire-Safe Community: A Guide for Fire Safety Educators (Fire Engineering, 1999) is a guide for bringing the safety message to all segments of the community efficiently and economically.
