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471 Kitchen Fires a Day. Cooking Safety in Connecticut.
1/27/2020 (Permalink)
Let's talk about kitchen fires. It's actually amazing, when you think about it, that there aren't MORE fires in the kitchen.
Every household is cooking on a daily basis and we are all bound at some time or another to forget about a pot left on the stove top ("I'll check back during the commercial") or neglect to clean up that grease spill in the oven from the last time you cooked (any busy moms out there?). Proportionally, for the number of us cooking each day, the number of fires that are caused by cooking is not too substantial.
However, according to the National Fire Protection Agency, there are 471 cooking fires PER DAY in the United States. This means that as Connecticut's leading fire restoration company, we typically receive a few calls a month from homes in which there has been a kitchen fire.
Since you can't stop cooking, the best that you can do to avoid a visit from us is:
1. Never leave food unattended. Ok, but realistically, you have to go check the baby or you're just going to sit down for a few minutes. So, set a timer whenever you leave the kitchen. You don't think that you will forget that you are cooking but neither do those other 471 people every day. Get one of those cute little egg timers that you will love using if it helps to remember!
2. Practice Microwave Safety. Of course your family knows not to put metal in the microwave. You've told them a million times, right? Well, let's face it, sometimes they might not listen to you. And, sometimes, the metal is hidden, as in a twist tie or food wrapper. The best advice we can give is to never leave a microwave unattended. And leave a note on the microwave reminding kids (and those young at heart) to double check for metal. If a fire does start in the microwave, unplug it and leave the door shut.
3. Have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. Or, at least a big box of baking soda - they cost about $2 and can safely extinguish a stove top fire.