Fire Safety in the Kitchen |
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County Fire Officer for Warwickshire, William Brown wishes to raise the awareness of the need for greater care in our kitchens. The kitchen is an area where most accidents and fires occur in the home. Mr Brown says, “Do not leave children alone in the kitchen as this is where most scalds and burns happen, it is not a playroom.”
Please follow this check list to ensure that the kitchen becomes a safer place.
 Cooker
· Keep electrical leads from trailing over or going near the cooker.
· Don’t hang tea towels or cloths on or over the cooker.
· Keep the oven, hob and grill clean. A build-up of fat and bits of food can start a fire.
· Do not leave pan handles overhanging another ring or sticking out where they could be tipped over.
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Microwave
· Don’t put anything metallic inside the microwave.
· Don’t dry clothes in the microwave. | |  |
Electrical
· Keep electrical leads away from water.
· Don’t put a plant pot or anything wet on top of an electrical appliance.
· Check the toaster is clean and well away from curtains.
· Don’t overload sockets – one plug per socket is the rule, especially if the appliance takes a lot of power (like a kettle).
· Don’t run extension cables across the floor as they will be a trip hazard and can also become worn.
· Electrical appliances – especially those that work at high speeds, such as the washing machine – should be serviced each year.
· Don’t leave appliances such as washing machines or dishwashers on at night.
· Is the kettle leaking? This can be dangerous.
Mr Brown adds, “A third of all cooking injuries occur between 10pm - 4am. Be extra careful if you are hungry in the middle of the night, do not cook, especially if you have been drinking.”
Safe Cooking
The most important point about cooking is to avoid being distracted. Most kitchen fires occur when people leave pans unattended.
· If you’re called away from the cooker – by the phone, or by someone at the door – take pans off the heat. It’s the easiest thing in the world to forget about them.
· Don’t cook if you’re affected by alcohol or prescription drugs.
· Don’t put oven gloves or tea towels down on the cooker after you’ve use them.
· Always clean the grill pan after using it.
Deep Fat Frying |
The most common type of fire is caused by deep fat frying, and injures 4,000 people each year.
Think about what you’re doing when you’re deep frying. You’re heating several pints of oil to extremely high temperatures. The oil can not only cause terrible burns, but it can go up in flames. In fact, it’s an ideal fuel for a fire, and difficult to put out.
· Never fill the pan more than one third full.
· Dry food before putting it in (water can make the oil explode).
· Test the temperature with a small piece of bread or potato. If it crisps quickly, the oil is hot enough.
· If the oil starts to smoke don’t put the food in. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.
· Don’t ever leave the pan unattended.
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The safest way to deep fry is to use a thermostat-controlled electric deep fat fryer. Its thermostat stops it from ever overheating.
In the event of your chip/frying pan catching fire: | | |
· Tackle the fire only if you feel it is safe to do so and you have a clear escape route.
· If possible turn off the heat source.
· Run a cloth under the tap and ring it out.
· Place the cloth over the pan and leave to cool completely for at least 30 minutes.
· The damp cloth should not be removed as this will almost certainly cause a re-ignition.
· Under no circumstances use water on a chip pan fire, as this will cause it to explode into a fireball, spreading the fire and causing severe burns to anyone nearby.
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If you are in any doubt about whether to try and put a fire out yourself then don’t – leave the room, close the door, get out of the building and dial 999.
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For further Fire Safety information and advice contact:
The Fire Safety Helpline on 01926 466282
National Community Fire Safety Centre Website www.firekills.gov.uk
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