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Kitchen
Fire Safety
Let's
Get Cooking: A Recipe for Safety
Even though we spend a great deal of time in our kitchen,
it is not the safest room in the home. Cooking fires are the #1 cause
of home fires and home fire injuries. These fires claimed 2 lives, left
48 injured and caused over $2.5 million in property loss during 2003 in
Minnesota. Nationally cooking fires cause hundreds of deaths and thousands
of injuries each year. These fires are usually preventable. But what can
we do about it?
1. Learn the hazards in your kitchen.
2. Learn how to reduce and minimize them.
3. Learn how to react properly when things go wrong.
4. Learn about burns and how to care for them.
TAKE
A PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Start by making a commitment to being aware of your surroundings and setting
a good example. This will help you and others change unsafe behaviors
you may not even be know you have.
Keeping it clean…
- Keep cooking areas clean of grease and oil buildup
- Keep cooking areas clear of combustibles such as potholders,
towels, rags, food packaging, etc.
- Don't use stovetop as a countertop
While cooking…
- Keep children and pets out of cooking area while cooking
- Never leave cooking unattended
- Keep panhandles turned inward where they cannot be
spilled
- Wear tight fitting sleeves, and don't reach across
burners
When things go wrong…
- Remain calm
- For a pan fire, while wearing an oven mitt slide a
lid over the pan and turn off the stove
- For a oven fire, keep the door closed and turn off
the oven, then unplug
- For a microwave fire, keep the door closed and unplug
the oven
Calling for help…
- Make sure everyone is out of the house and accounted
for
- Call 911 from the neighbors home
- Keep a 10 lb. ABC fire extinguisher mounted near the
exit
- If the fire has not grown beyond the area in which
it started, use your fire extinguisher following the PASS
method
- Pull the pin, Aim
at the fire Squeeze the handle,
and Sweep back and forth
Types of burns…
- First degree burns are skin that has only it's outer
layer harmed and feels much like that of a mild sunburn.
- Second degree burns appear swollen and blistered because
several layers of the skin has been burned.
- Third degree burns are where all layers and perhaps
underlying tissue has been burned.
Caring for burns…
- If the skin is unbroken such as in a first or second
degree burns, cool water can be run over the area to remove heat. However,
if the skin is broken such as in a third degree burn, apply a dry sterile
dressing over the wound and seek immediate medical attention.
Content updated on:
28-Dec-2007
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