Keep your kitchen fire-safe
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EmailOctober is fire safety month.
October is Fire Safety Month, and a good time to think about what to do to prevent it from happening. No one wants to hear the word “fire”; especially if it is your own kitchen on fire.
The kitchen is the center of activity in most homes, where people meet to talk over coffee, where children do homework, and lots of hustle and bustle occurs. Sometimes that hustle and bustle can cause us to hurry and stop paying attention to what we are doing. At times like that, accidents can happen. The CDC estimates that over 393,000 individuals receive hospital emergency room treatment each year from injuries involving fire and flame. Leaving the stove unattended can often be the cause of the fire, and burns can be a result of trying to put out the fire.
Tips to stay safe in the kitchen:
- Avoid wearing long, loose sleeves when tending the stove as they can ignite very quickly.
- Never leave food cooking on the stovetop unattended. If the burner is on, stay alert. And when food is finished cooking, remember to turn off the burner.
- Do not use the top of the stove as a storage rack for paper, cloth or plastic.
- Don’t lean on the stove while it is on. Get into the habit of NEVER leaning on the stove, even when it’s off. If it is not attached well, it can topple or in the case of gas stoves, the gas line can un-attach.
- Don’t store cookies or other kid-friendly foods above the stove. Children may want to climb on top of the stove or reach over it to get the food. The stove, in turn, could tip on the child or burns could occur.
- Don’t store food or other items inside the oven; it is not a storage bin. You could forget, turn the stove on and begin a fire.
- Keep curtains, dishtowels, potholders and paper towels away from the stove area. A draft could blow them onto a hot burner and start a fire.
- Know where the baking soda and/or salt bins are located and make sure they are full. In case of a fire, they make a quick agent to smother the flames.
- Make sure to have a working fire extinguisher somewhere in the kitchen. Smoke detectors sometimes go off when the toast burns, but keep them working. They can save lives.
- Use potholders, not towels, to remove pans from the stove or oven. Towels are loose and flimsy and could get too close to a burner and ignite. You could then panic, drop the towel and have an instant fire!
Michigan State University Extension recommends you pay attention in the kitchen, and use these tips to avoid kitchen fires. If you would like more information about food safety, contact your local MSU Extension office.
