Fire Prevention Week 2023 – Cooking safety starts with you
Warren County Fire Coordinator reminds residents to have extinguisher in or near kitchen
Fire departments around the U.S. will respond to nearly 170,000 fires in home kitchens in 2023, making kitchen blazes the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. The good news is most kitchen fires are preventable, and this year’s Fire Prevention Week™ campaign focuses on cooking safety to avoid fires.
Fire Prevention Week is October 8th-14th, 2023 and this year’s theme “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire prevention,” works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe when cooking.
The leading cause of kitchen fires is unattended cooking on a stove, so staying in the kitchen when pots and pans are being used is imperative. Warren County Office of Emergency Services recommends these simple practices to use to lessen the chance of an accident that could lead to fire, including:
- Stay in the kitchen when burners or the oven are being used, and set a timer to remind you of estimated cooking times.
- Turn handles of pots backwards, so they face into the stove, to lessen the occurrences of bumping them.
- Establish a “child-free” area of at least three feet around the stove.
- Keep flammable items, such as oven mitts, pot holders or paper towels, away from the stovetop.
- Keep a large lid on hand to smother a fire if one occurs.
Warren County Fire Coordinator Ralph Bartlett said: “Kitchen fires spread rapidly, and particularly if they involve cooking oils, can be very difficult to extinguish. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires, so it is important to stay in the kitchen and pay attention when burners or the oven are on. Please keep a fire extinguisher near the kitchen and know how to use it. Many of the Fire Departments in the County will assist you in learning how to recognize the proper fire extinguisher for kitchen fires and how to properly use them. Please use Fire Prevention Week as a reminder to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and practice your home escape plan. If you do not have one, please develop one and practice it with your family.”
For more fire safety tips and information about this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, check this National Fire Protection Association link.
###