Flanders Firefighters: Keep Holiday Cooking Safe To Keep Celebrations Happy

Nov. 7, 2013 - PRLog -- FLANDERS, N.J. – The holiday season is just around the corner, and that means kitchens are going to be busy. When kitchens get busy, so do fire departments. With that in mind, Fire Chief Frank Zeller, of the Flanders Fire Company No. 1 and Rescue Squad (http://www.flanders-fire-rescue.org/), is urging family cooks and their assistants of all ages to use extra caution to avoid kitchen fire injuries and death.

“It’s not an idle concern,” Zeller said. “We see more kitchen fires than any other type. The National Fire Protection Association says that two out of every five home fires start in the kitchen. On average they cause 44 percent of home fires, 15 percent of home-fire deaths and more than a third of injuries. Lots of numbers, but they add up to a lot of people who will never see the holidays the same way again – if at all.”

Zeller said the NFPA has found some common causes for kitchen fires, such as people multitasking or being distracted during cooking. Unattended cooking causes about a third of cooking fires. Frying is the worst offender. Every cook knows how easily cooking oil or grease catches fire when it gets too hot. It can spread easily because frying pans are usually wide open.

Ranges, cooktops and microwaves have their own specific dangers, said Zeller. Ranges cause more than half of fires while ovens account for only 16 percent.  Microwaves account for a vast number of scald injuries seen in emergency rooms.

Finally, cooking, not fire, often burns children helping in the kitchen. Kids accidently touch the stove, or pans or they are scalded from hot liquids or steam. Children under 5 accounted for 55 percent of tableware scalds, 42 percent of contact burns from ranges or ovens and 34 percent of microwave scalds in 2011.

Zeller said people should dress for success when they cook. The NFPA says that 16 percent of fire deaths were caused by loose-fitting clothing that caught fire.

Zeller said the NFPA offers 10 tips to keep your family safe:

1.      Cook only when you’re alert, not when you’re exhausted or have been drinking.

2.      Keep an eye on what you fry. If you step away from the stove, turn it off.

3.      Keep things that can catch fire – dish towels, pot holders, paper towels and napkins, bathrobes and loose-fitting clothing – away from the stove.

4.      Keep hot things away from the edges of tables and counters.

5.      Open microwaved food slowly and keep the food away from your face.

6.      Keep kids at least three feet away from the stove. And don’t hold a child while cooking or carrying something hot.

7.      Teach kids to stay away from the stove and hot foods.

8.      Keep pets off cooking surfaces.

9.      Install smoke alarms in the kitchen, outside each sleeping area, inside each bedroom and on every level of the home, including the basement.

10.  If you have a fire, just get out, stay out and call the fire department from outside.

“Holidays are supposed to be happy times,” said Zeller. “They’re stressful enough without creating unnecessary dangers in the kitchen that can hurt or kill someone or destroy your home. Be careful, and if there is an emergency, remember to get out and get help. The members of the Flanders Fire Company No. 1 and Rescue Squad are ready to respond to an emergency even on holidays, but we’d rather everyone enjoy a happy, peaceful – and safe—celebration.”

The Flanders Fire Company No. 1 and Rescue Squad (http://www.flanders-fire-rescue.org/) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to residents and businesses in Flanders and, through mutual aid, surrounding towns. It is made up of about 30 members, all of whom receive training in fire suppression, rescue, hazardous materials response, homeland security issues and emergency medical services. The fire company operates two fire engines, one tower truck, one heavy rescue, a brush-and-foam truck, two ambulances, a multiple-casualty unit and a mass decontamination unit. In addition, the fire company offers public education services including lectures, demonstrations, training and a trailer that safely simulates a smoke-filled home. For information about membership, donations or public education, call (973) 584-7805 or click on www.flandersfire.org.