Unattended cooking remains one of the leading cause of U.S. home fires

Leaving an unattended pan or skillet cooking on the stove is a good way to burn your food, not to mention the chance of burning down your house.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) cooking fires are the #1 cause of home* fires and home fire injuries. Two-thirds (66%) of home cooking fire started with the ignition of food or other cooking materials. Further more according to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) statistics, almost 30 percent of all reported home fires start in the kitchen, and of those, most involve the range-top.

Basic cooking fire prevention and fire safety mesures are very simple and easy to do and can prevent a cooking situation from becoming a far worse outcome. Just remember, practice and use these Cooking Fire Safety Tips ...

* Always use cooking equipment tested and approved by a recognized testing facility.

* Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended, and keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.

* Keep cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles (e.g. potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging).

* Keep children and pets away from cooking areas by creating a three-foot (one-meter) "kid–free zone" around the stove.

* Turn pot handles inward so they can't be bumped and children can't grab them.

* Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire.

* Never use a wet oven mitt, as it presents a scald danger if the moisture in the mitt is heated.

* Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner.

* Never pour water on a grease fire and never discharge a fire extinguisher onto a pan fire, as it can spray or shoot burning grease around the kitchen, actually spreading the fire.

* If there is an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you and your clothing.

* There is a microwave fire, keep the door closed and unplug the microwave. Call the fire department and make sure to have the oven serviced before you use it again.

* Food cooked in a microwave can be dangerously hot. Remove the lids or other coverings from microwaved food carefully to prevent steam burns.

Fire can ripped through a home after a unattended cooking fire gets started. Such was the case in Lehigh Acres, Florida when the Lehigh Acres Fire Rescue responded to combat a structure fire at 2706 13th Street SW at 1325 hours on 2/24/12. The cause of the fire was unattended cooking. The family told firefighters that around 1:30 p.m., they left their home after cooking and forgot to turn the stove off. Here's news footage of this fire and video footage of the firefighters fighting the blaze...

Remember, Prevent Fires! It's Your Job!

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)

Fire Safe Cooking Holiday Season

This week, on Thursday, is Thanksgiving Day with the holiday cooking starting across the country as well as marking the start to the holiday season. It is also a time to be reminded and encourage while cooking to take extra precautions and fire safety measures to prevent any kitchen fires from starting. It is hope that this Thanksgiving will be as safe as it was last year.

Fire statistics show that firefighters have responded to a number of kitchen fires each Holiday Season in years past. It is often the case that while the holiday meal is being put together the cook’s attention is diverted from the cooking thus raising the risk of a fire to start. The extra people in the home while the holiday meal is cooking can add to the confusion with the chance of the cook leaving something on the stove too long. The next thing you know, you have a kitchen fire.

DON’T BE A FIRE STATISTIC!

Turkey Fryers are often the source of cooking-related fires when they are used to prepare a holiday season meal. From YouTube® here’s a very important example of what could happen if a turkey fryer is used improperly:

U.S. fire departments are responding to more than 1,000 fires each year when a deep fryer is involved. The National Fire Association says deep fryers fires can result in more than $15 million in property damage each year and hot oil splatter can cause serious burns to an adult or life-threatening to a child.

Using turkey fryers this year to cook a turkey you most take several fire safety steps to insure their safety. Always use the turkey fryer outside and NOT in the garage or house. Make sure the turkey is completely defrosted and dried off before putting in the hot oil. Forgetting to simply drying off the turkey will result in the stating of hot oil splashing and then things begin to catch fire. The BIGGEST DANGER when using the turkey deep-fryer is when it’s not thawed or dried correctly, which can cause the grease or hot oil to splash or thaw. The YouTube® Turkey Fryer Fire Demonstration, presented by William Shatner & State Farm® demonstrated and showed the result of not following proper, very simple, fire safety precautions.

A full charged fire extinguisher should be kept near the door of the kitchen as well as near where you are using the turkey fryer outside. The fire extinguisher is to be used to fight small fires, when they are just started, and one should always escape from the fire area if the fire gets out of had where it cannot be put out with portable fire extinguish. When there is a fire, don’t hesitate to call 911, and call before fighting the fire or have someone call when you are using the fire extinguisher.

As the popularity of turkey fryers increase, more people are at risk for injury or property damage as information from State Farms Insurance states.

Fire Safety does not stop just because it’s the holiday season, and we need to keep this in mind as we celebrating. Remember that one of the leading causes of home fires is unattended cooking. When you are cooking, stay in the kitchen, stay with that turkey fryer. If you have to leave, for whatever reason, make sure you turn the appliance off. If there’s a pot on the stove, move it from one heat element after turning element off to another cooler element. If you ever have a pot of grease or hot oil catch fire, cover it with a lid, turn off the switch to it, and NEVER NEVER put a grease/hot oil fire with water as that will result only making a bad fire into a worse fire.

A little extra attention during the hectic holiday season goes a long way to keeping family and guests fire safe.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)

Thanksgiving is peak day for home cooking fires

NFPA urges caution when preparing holiday meals

November 9, 2011 – The number of home cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day was three times the national average of fires per day in 2009, according the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA.) NFPA is urging the public to keep fire safety in mind when preparing holiday meals.

“Thanksgiving can be a whirlwind of cooking and entertaining guests,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of communications for NFPA. “With so much multitasking taking place, fire hazards around the oven or stovetop can easily be overlooked. Cooks should be conscious of fire safety this Thanksgiving whether the menu is meant to serve two or 20.”

Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and related injuries. In 2005-2009, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 155,400 home fires per year involving cooking equipment. These fires caused an annual average of 390 civilian deaths, 4,800 civilian injuries, and $771 million in direct property damage.

Download NFPA's Thanksgiving safety tips. (PDF, 868 KB)

To reduce the risk of cooking fires this holiday, NFPA recommends the following safety tips:

1. Keep anything that can catch fire such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains away from the stovetop.
2. Always stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you have to leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
3. When simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
4. Stay alert. If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire…

1. Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
2. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.
3. If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear path (to your way out of the home and someone has called the fire department).
4. Keep a lid nearby when cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
5. For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
NFPA is a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building, and life safety. The mission of the international nonprofit organization founded in 1896 is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)

Thanksgiving top day for cooking fires

NEWS RELEASES:

NFPA urges caution when preparing for dinner this year

Thanksgiving remains the leading day for cooking fires, with three times as many cooking fires as an average day. That’s according to statistics by the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which also found that cooking equipment fires are still the leading cause of U.S. home fires and fire injuries, and the third leading cause of fire deaths. On Thanksgiving 2008, U.S. fire departments responded to 1,300 home cooking fires compared to 420 such fires on an average day.

“Thanksgiving is a holiday of feasting, but it’s also a day of intense cooking, when stovetops and ovens are working overtime,” says Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of communications. “These culinary activities bring an increased risk of fire particularly when people are trying to prepare several dishes while entertaining friends and family.”

According to NFPA, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 154,700 home structure fires involving cooking equipment between 2004 and 2008. These fires caused an average of 460 civilian deaths, 4,850 reported civilian fire injuries, and $724 million in direct property damage. Overall, these incidents accounted for two of every five (41%) reported home fires, 17% of home fire deaths, more than one-third (37%) of home fire injuries, and 11% of the direct property damage resulting from home fires. Three of every five people (59%) injured in a cooking fire were hurt when they tried to fight the fire themselves

Unfortunately, little progress has been made in reducing deaths from home cooking fire. The average of 460 deaths per year in 2004-2008 was only 7% lower than the 500 per year in 1980-1984. Meanwhile, fire rates among other types of home fires have steadily declined.

Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking equipment fires. Ranges or cooktops were involved in the majority (59%) of home cooking fire incidents; ovens accounted for 16%. Clothing was the item first ignited in less than 1% of these fires, but these incidents accounted 15% of the cooking fire deaths.

NFPA offers the following cooking safety tips.

Cook with caution:

• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire:

• Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.
• If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out.
• Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
NFPA is a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.

KEEP A LID ON COOKING FIRES‏

Fires and burns caused by careless cooking account for thousands of serious and painful injuries every year. Many of these injuries could be prevented or lessened if people were more cautious and if they knew how to safely put out cooking fires.

Most cooking fires involve grease. Whether it's cooking oil lard or melted fat from meats, grease is a flammable liquid which ignites easily and burns rapidly. If grease ignites in a pan on your stove, smother the fire by sliding the lid or a large pan on the fire. If the fire begins in your stove, turn off the heat and leave the door close to smother the flames. You can also use baking soda (not baking powder) or a portable fire extinguisher to put out the fire. If the fire is too large to slide a lid on or to use a fire extinguisher, leave the house immediately and call the fire department from a neighbor’s house.

With grease fires, it’s just as important to know how not to extinguish as it is to know how to. The wrong action can spread the fire and caused serious burns. Never use water or flour on a grease fire. Water will make the fire bigger and can splatter the burning grease. Flour can explode. Never carry the burning pan because you may spill the grease on you or someone else. Deal with the fire where it starts. Do not turn on the exhaust fan above the stove.

Unfortunately, the typical response to a grease fire is to carry the burning pan outside or pour water on it. Both actions are dead wrong.

Some cooking fires are caused by leaving combustible items, like paper towels, dish towels, paper bags, etc. near the stove, or other hot cooking appliances. Others start because of a grease build-up in stoves, broilers, vents, etc.. Keep these areas clear and clean of grease and combustibles.

Frequent Burns are caused by microwave cooking. Most microwave recipes call for the use of plastic wraps. When containers are removed from the microwave, they may not feel hot, but boiling hot steam has accumulated under the plastic wrap. Always open the wrap away from you and protect your hands while doing so. Burns also occurred because microwave food cooks from the inside-out and the center may be hot enough to cause serious burns in the mouth. Be especially careful when serving children food from the microwave oven.

One way to prevent cooking fires is to never leave the cooking area unattended. It takes only seconds for grease to ignite. A “watched pot” may never boil, but it is less likely to catch fire.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)

Thanksgiving is top day for cooking fires

NFPA urges cooks to stand by their pan to prevent fires.

Next Thusday, is Thanksgiving!

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is calling on cooks across the nation to include fire safety in their recipes because Thanksgiving is the leading day for home cooking fires. U.S. firefighters responded to roughly 1,300 home fires involving cooking equipment on Thanksgiving in 2007, roughly three times the daily average of cooking fires, according to NFPA.

"Incorporating fire safety into your holiday preparations can mean the difference between putting on a fantastic holiday feast for family and friends or having to call the fire department to put out a fire," said NFPA's Vice President of Communications Lorraine Carli.

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires. During 2003-2006, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 150,200 home structure fires involving cooking equipment per year, according to the newly released NFPA report Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment (PDF, 896 KB). These fires caused an annual average of 500 civilian deaths, 4,660 civilian injuries, and $756 million in direct property damage.

Other key findings from the report on fires during 2003-2006:

* Cooking equipment was involved in 40 percent of all reported home fires, 17 percent of home fire deaths, 36 percent of home civilian injuries, and 12 percent of the direct property damage resulting from home fires.
* Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in these fires. Something that could catch fire was too close to the equipment ranked second and unintentionally turned on or not turned off ranked third.
* Three-fifths (57 percent) of reported home cooking fire injuries occurred when victims tried to fight the fire themselves.

NFPA recommends the following cooking safety tips:

Cook with Caution

* Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don't use the stove or stovetop.
* Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
* If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
* Keep anything that can catch fire - oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains - away from your stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire….

* Keep a lid nearby when you're cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
* For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
* If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out.
* When in doubt, just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
* Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.

NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.

For additional information concerning fire prevention practices visit http://www.nfpa.org/

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)