Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Safety Tips: Simple steps help prevent kitchen fires

As Thanksgiving approaches and our kitchens become hubs of home activity, the Directorate of Emergency Services asks everyone to consider the following safety tips for preventing kitchen fires:

• Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended — keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.

• Never place or store combustible items on the range or in the oven. Food containers, cutting boards, and plastic cooking utensils all can burn if the stove is left on.

• Keep curtains, towels, potholders, and other combustible materials away from flames and hot surfaces.

• Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire.

• Turn pot handles in to prevent food spills and burns.

• Clean cooking areas frequently. Built-up grease can catch fire.

• Mount an A-B-C dry chemical fire extinguisher at eye level near the exit to your kitchen and away from the stove.

• Keep a container of baking soda handy to extinguish small kitchen fires (never use flour — flour is flammable!)

• At a minimum, install at least one smoke detector on every level of your home. To avoid false alarms, try installing smoke detectors at least ten feet away from stoves and other cooking equipment.

• Always use cooking equipment that is tested and approved by a recognized testing facility.

• Don’t plug too many appliances into one outlet. Use only one heat-producing appliance on the same circuit at one time.

• Replace cracked or frayed appliance cords.

• If an appliance feels too hot, smokes, or gives off a funny odor, unplug it immediately and have it serviced or replaced.

• Whenever possible, unplug kitchen appliances after each use.

• Be wary of using electrical appliances around the sink or too close to water. Have ground-fault interrupter outlets installed on all kitchen counter outlets to prevent electrical shocks.