FIRE PREVENTION: Kitchen safety starts with you

Fire Prevention Week this year is being celebrated Sunday, Oct. 8-Saturday, Oct. 14. Fontanelle Fire Chief Tyson Sickles says that one of the biggest pieces to kitchen safety is being aware of your surroundings and taking a moment to stop and consider the risks around you before you start cooking.

This year’s fire prevention theme is “Cooking Safety Starts with You.”

“Parents are pulled in a lot of different directions today. When supper’s on the oven, you can be getting pulled away,” Sickles said. “I would say probably 50% of our house fires are in the kitchen. Leaving potholders or dish towels laying next to the oven, that’s a big contributing factor we’ve seen in our area. When you’re going out to cook, stop, take a breath, and think about what you’re doing.”

According to tips from the National Fire Protection Association, it is advised to be on alert while using the stove or stovetop. They say to stay in the kitchen while you’re frying, boiling, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen, even for a short time, turn off the stove. If you’re simmering, baking or roasting food, check it regularly and remain in the home while food is cooking, and use timers to remind you that you’re cooking. They also say to remove anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from the stovetop.

“We had a situation on a house fire recently where someone had put something in the oven and canceled it the night before and didn’t end up taking that food item out of their oven. The next day, when they went to preheat their oven, they hit the preheat button totally forgetting that was in there,” Sickles said. “Luckily that was just contained to the oven, but a big piece I could personally say is to be mindful of what’s going on in that kitchen. Most of that time when you have kitchen fire, it’s not going to be contained to the kitchen.”

Also important during Fire Prevention Week is reminding people to have an escape route out of their home if there is a fire. Sickles also said it’s a good idea to tell your plan to your neighbors so they know where to find you and you know where to find them if a fire is discovered.

As the time changes soon, Sickles said it is good for people to remember to change the batteries in smoke detectors as well.