Cooking Fire Safety

According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), cooking fires caused about 160,000 home fires per year, with ranges and cooktops involved in more than half of kitchen fires.

• Install and regularly test smoke alarms. It's the single most effective life-saving device in your home.
• Stand by your pan. Never leave cooking food unattended, especially when frying, grilling, or broiling.
• Keep the stove and oven clear of flammable materials. Dish towels, paper towels, oven mitts, and food packaging should be away from the stovetop.
• Keep a lid nearby when cooking. Sliding a lid over a pan fire can smother it more safely than using an extinguisher.
• Clean grease buildup regularly from stovetops, ovens, and range hoods.
• Turn pot handles inward to prevent them from being knocked off the stove.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. These essential tools can combat small, contained fires in rooms without smoke.

Fire extinguishers are essential tools for combatting small fires before they become unmanageable, but only when the fire is small, contained, in a room not filled with smoke, you have a clear escape route behind you, and everyone else has already evacuated. If in doubt, get out and call for help. A multipurpose ABC-rated extinguisher is suitable for most household fires, including those involving ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids, and electrical equipment.

All family members should know when and how to operate an extinguisher using the PASS method:

• Pull the pin. Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointed away from you, then release the locking mechanism.
• Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
• Squeeze the handle slowly and evenly
• Sweep the nozzle from side to side

1. Get low, stay low: Drop down to the floor and crawl low, under any smoke to your exit.
2. Check doors: Before opening a door, feel the doorknob and door first. If it's hot or smoke is coming around the door, use your second way out.
3. Open doors slowly: If you open a door, open it slowly. Shut it if heavy smoke or fire is present.
4. Yell "Fire!" several times and go outside right away. If you live in a building with elevators, use the stairs.
5. Get out, stay out: If you can't reach someone or a pet who needs assistance, leave the home and call 9-1-1. Tell the emergency operator where the person or pet is located.
6. Trapped - call and signal for help: If you can't get out, close the door, cover vents, and cover cracks around doors with cloth or tape to keep smoke out. Call 9-1-1. Say where you are and signal for help at the window with a bright-colored cloth or a flashlight.
7. Stop, drop, and roll: If your clothes catch fire - stop, drop, and roll. If you cannot do this, smother the flames with a blanket or towel.