During the holiday season, many people spend a lot of time in the kitchen with friends and family. Cooking during the holidays should be an enjoyable and pleasant experience. Practicing fire safety methods in the kitchen is a great way to keep your family safe from a fire. The holiday season is a great time to review fire safety methods for the kitchen.
Don’t Leave Your Cooking Unattended
The leading cause of cause of cooking fires is unattended cooking. Luckily, by practicing fire safety methods many fires can be avoided in the kitchen. When cooking food on the stovetop, you should stay in the kitchen to keep an eye on your food and make sure it is not at risk of starting on fire. It is recommended that you stay at home while your food is cooking in the oven. While it may be tempting to leave the house while your meal is cooking, it is important to always have someone at home to monitor the oven.
Keep Children Away from Hazards
The kitchen is full of hazards for children, especially during the holidays. Make sure children stay away from hot stoves where they could be burned. Hot foods, liquids, and candles can also cause serious burns, so children should be kept away from them. Put matches and lighters in an out of reach place to prevent children from getting ahold them. It is also important to make sure that electric cords from knives, hot plates, and coffee makers are not dangling where children can reach them.
Make Sure Your Smoke Alarms are Working
Before preparing holiday foods, check your smoke alarms to make sure they are working properly. Test them by pushing the test button. If your smoke alarms need new batteries be sure to replace them before cooking so they are ready to go. Having working smoke alarms will alert you to fire and help you to get your family to safety more quickly if a fire does occur.
Keep your family safe and enjoy the holidays by practicing these simple kitchen fire safety methods. Educate your family and friends on fire safety so the holidays can be fun and free of kitchen fires. To learn more about preventing kitchen fires, visit the NFPA’s website.