Fire Prevention in the Kitchen
Put A Lid On It!
| Get the Facts
National Fire Protection Association. Web. Sept. 2009. <http://www.nfpa.org>.
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Cooking Safety
- Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you need to 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’re cooking.
- Keep things that can catch fire — potholders, oven mitts, paper or plastic bags, curtains — away from your stovetop.
- Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and can catch fire if it comes in contact with a gas flame or electric burner.
- Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
If a Fire Breaks Out
- Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
- Call 9-1-1 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. Turn off the stovetop burners. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. Never attempt to remove a pan that has caught fire from the stovetop.
- If you do not have a lid large enough to contain the fire, turn off the stovetop burners. Get a cloth damp with water from the sink tap. Wring out the cloth and smother the fire by laying the cloth over the pan. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. Never attempt to remove a pan that has caught fire from the stovetop.
- For an oven fire, turn off the heat and do not attempt to open the door until you know the fire has been smothered out.
National Fire Protection Association. Web. Sept. 2009. <http://www.nfpa.org>.
