Cooking Fire Prevention

4/26/2020 (Permalink)

Cooking of all kinds are the number one cause of home fires in America.  Here at SERVPRO, we are all about safety and serving our customers, so we are going to go over some fire prevention tips! According to the National Fire Protection Association, some important things you can do to help ensure you are cooking safely are:

1) Be alert! If you have consumed alcohol or are feeling overly sleepy, it may be unsafe to cook, and you may be unable to prevent or catch a fire while you can

2) Stay in the kitchen while you are cooking! Staying in the kitchen allows you to monitor your cooking and adjust as needed, helping to prevent fires.  If you are grilling or cooking outside, staying outside with your cooking can be essential in preventing a fire outside too!

3) If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the kitchen, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.  Avoiding overcooking or forgetting about food can be essential in preventing fires!

4) Keep anything that may catch fire - oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains - away from your stovetop. Non-cooking materials catching fire is a very dangerous, yet very common start for many kitchen fires. 

Now that you're set to cook safely, what do you do if you find a cook fire in your home?

According to the National Fire Protection Association, you should - 

1) Get out! When you do, make sure that everyone else is as well, and shut the door behind you in order to help contain the fire

2) Call 9-1-1 or your local emergency services as soon as you are out and in a safe place away from the flames

3) If you do decide to attempt to fight the fire, be sure that others are out and clear, and that you have a free and unobstructed path away to safety

4) Keep a lid nearby when cooking in order to smother grease fires. If a grease fire breaks out, do not throw water on it!! Slide the lid over the pan, turn the burner off, and leave the lid on the pan until it has completely cooled

5) If an oven fire breaks out, turn the oven off and keep the door closed, dio not open it to attempt to fight the fire

For more information on cooking fires, and any other fire questions you may have, visit https://www.nfpa.org/ . And remember, if you ever have a fire in your home or business, call (253)-896-300 to make it "Like it never even happened."