Our Advice for Kitchen Fire Safety
According to the London Fire Brigade around 60% of fires at home start in the kitchen so we thought it was time for a reminder of some things you can do to help keep the kitchen safe.
A good starting point is to make sure that only competent members of the family are allowed to cook. Cooking with young children is great fun, if a bit messy, but it is vital to be clear that they should never attempt to touch anything in the kitchen unless there is an adult present. When cooking with them, make sure that they understand that opening the oven, and pressing any buttons or switches is strictly for adults only.
Leaving cooking unattended can be a fire risk but, as many parents know, trying to juggle children and cook dinner at the same time can be a challenge. If you need to leave the kitchen to attend to anything, remove any pans from the hob and turn the power off until you return.
Be aware of how safe you yourself are to cook. If you are feeling unwell, have taken medication that makes you drowsy, have been out for the evening drinking alcohol, or are entertaining at home and had one too many pre-dinner drinks stop and think. It may be safer to ask someone else to take over the cooking, or simply order a takeaway.
Be sure to stay on top of cleaning your oven, hob and microwave. A build-up of fat and grease in these areas makes the risk of fire greater. Also take care that toasters do not fill up with crumbs and are positioned safely away from cupboards and anything else that could catch fire.
When cooking think about your clothing too, be aware of loose or floaty sleeves, scarves or other items that could potentially get caught on oven doors or catch fire when stretching over the hob. Take care with aprons and tea towels and oven gloves, they can easily ignite too if left close to the hob.
Take special care if deep fat frying and never use water on an oil fire. If a pan of oil does catch fire, turn off the heat if you can and place a damp (but not dripping wet) tea towel over the pan. To reduce the risk of burns or scalds always make sure saucepan and frying pan handles are turned away from you to prevent them being knocked or the contents spilled. Finally, remember that nothing metal should be put in the microwave – only use suitable containers.
Make sure that the oven and hob are switched off once you have finished cooking. Also be aware that pets can accidentally turn things on so switching off at the wall may be safest. Remember, if a fire should break out try and stay calm. Take a moment to think about what you should do before acting. If in doubt leave the property, closing the doors behind you if possible and dial 999.