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Kitchen Safety

According to the latest National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) research, cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and home fire-related injuries. Three out of four injuries reported each year occur in the home. Home cooking fires kill hundreds of Americans and injure roughly 4,000 more each year. Aside from death and injury, other personal losses are suffered with over half a billion dollars in homes and their contents destroyed annually.

Safety Tips for Safer Cooking:

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Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling or boiling food.
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If you must leave the room, even for a short period of time, turn OFF the stove.
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When you are simmering, baking or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home and use a timer to help remind you.
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If you have young children, use the stove's back burners whenever possible and turn pot handles inward to reduce the risk of pots with hot contents from being knocked over.
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Keep children and pets at least 3 FEET away from the stove. Enforce a "kids-free zone" around the stove.
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NEVER hold a small child while cooking.
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When you cook, wear clothing with tight-fitting sleeves.
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Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper bags, plastic bags, towels and anything else that can burn, away from your stovetop.
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Clean up food and grease from burners and stovetops after it has cooled down and before you cook on it again.

Often when the fire department is called to a fire that started in the kitchen, the residents have only left the kitchen for a few minutes. Sadly, that's all it takes for a dangerous fire to start. Follow the safety tips above to help keep your home and family fire safe! Check out our Fire Prevention Week information for some upcoming fun events and activities.

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