So many people in communities like ours across the nation lose everything from cooking fires. All it takes is moments of being distracted and a fire can get out of hand… Quickly.
Cooking is the leading cause of home fires nationwide and in Florida. The majority of cooking fires stem from unattended cooking. Two of every five home fires begin in the kitchen, more than any other place in the home.
Cooking fires are also the leading cause of home fire-related injuries, but they can be prevented!
11 Tips to Keep Cooking Safety
1. Keep an eye on what you fry.
2. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food.
3. Keep anything that can catch fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, curtains – away from your stovetop.
4. Always keep a lid nearby when you are cooking. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Do not move the pan. To keep the fire from restarting, leave the lid on until the pan has cooled.
5. Never pour water on a cooking pan grease fire.
6. If there is a power outage in your area, always check your stove to ensure that no burners are in the “on” position.
7. Keep kids safe! Have a 3-foot child-free zone around hot food and drink.
8. Stand by your pan!
9. Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
10. Have an extinguisher handy in the kitchen.
While a lot of these tips may seem like common sense, we may forget them because of our busy daily routines or because we become too comfortable in the kitchen and think we got this. But kitchen fires can be prevented as long as you make these remember to employ these safety tips each and every time you are in the kitchen.
