Fire Safety & Prevention Tips
Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen
Cooking is often relaxing and fun and the kitchen a wonderful place for families and friends to gather. But as you know, cooking is also the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries.
Cooking safety starts with YOU.
The 2023 Fire Prevention Week (FPW) campaign “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. Click HERE to view the PSA.
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.
Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking at high temperatures. If you must leave, turn off the burner. When simmering on the stove or baking in the oven, set a timer if you leave the kitchen to remind you that you are cooking. It is very easy to get distracted by electronics and lose track of time.
Many home cooking fires happen on the kitchen range.
Before you turn on the heat, move dishtowels, bags, boxes, paper and curtains, anything that can burn, away from the stove. When you are finished, wipe up any spills or food that may have fallen on the stove.
Frying is the greatest risk for a home cooking fire.
Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking at high temperatures, like frying, boiling and grilling. When oil gets too hot it can easily start a fire. Keep a pot lid or a cookie sheet nearby when you are cooking at high temperatures. If the pot starts to flame, put the lid or cookie sheet over the pot, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Across the Nation, 1,511 home fire fatalities have been reported in the media so far this year. This is slightly higher than 2019, when there were 1,480 fatalities reported in the media from January 1 through September 30.
USFA compiles home fire fatalities through a daily Internet search of U.S. news media reports. You can run state reports for a specific timeframe, housing type and cause. This is one more tool to help you raise awareness about the danger of fire and the frequency of home fire deaths.