2. RISK FACTORS & ACTIVITIES

section a: Kitchen Fires & Burns

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in North America. Unattended cooking is a leading cause of kitchen fires and child scald burns. You can help reduce the chances of starting a kitchen fire by following a few simple rules:

"I practice safe cooking"

Prevention Tips

• Do keep flammable objects away from heating sources.
• Do turn off cooking appliances immediately when finished cooking.
• Do not wear loose clothing that may come in contact with a heating source and catch fire.
• Do have an adult with you if you are cooking in the kitchen.
• Do keep long hair tied back when you are cooking.
• Do make sure that, if you have a window near the stove, the curtains are tied back and will not blow near a flame or burner.
• Do make sure that the knobs on the stove are difficult for a child to turn.
• Do check the make sure that the "ON" signal light for the burner is working.
• Do turn the pan handles to the center of the stove so that children cannot reach them and in order to keep them from being knocked of the stove.
• Do put a non-slip mat in front of the stove to keep you from slipping and falling into a burner.
• Do check the cords on all appliances regularly for fraying.
• Do call your utility company IMMEDIATELY if you smell a gas odor coming form your stove.
• Do not put your towels, potholders, or dishrags near a stove.
• Do not put cookies, candy, or other treats in the cabinet above a stove. Young children may try to reach them and accidentally start the burners, start a fire, or have their clothes catch on fire.
• Do not  store spray cans near the stove as they can explode.
• Do not let small children near an open oven door. They can be burned by the heat or by falling onto the door or into the oven.
• Do not lean against the stove to keep warm.
• Do not use towels as potholders. They may catch on fire.
• Do not leave the kitchen while cooking.
• Do not sleep while cooking
• Do not cook while intoxicated.
• Do not overload an electrical outlet with several appliances.
• Do not use radios or other small appliances (mixers, blenders) near the sink.

how to handle a kitchen fire

For Pan Fires on Top of The Stove:

• Alert others in the home.
• Direct another family member to call 911. Direct all others to get out of the house.
• Turn off the burner if the burner is in front of the stove and can be reached without putting your arms, face, sleeves, body, clothing, or hair in the area of the flames or smoke.
• Never put water on a grease or fuel fire. As water in initially introduced into the burning pan, it will boil intensely and can cause the burning liquid to violently spew onto everything nearby.
• Cover the pan with a lid if you can safely accomplish it.
• Donot take the lid off until the entire pan cools off whilt sitting on the stove. If the lid is removed, escaping fumes or oil can re-ignite.
• Use a kitchen fire extinguisher if you don't have a lid handy or if the lid or if the lid failed to extinguish the fire. Standing several steps back from the stove, activate the fire extinguisher directing the stream at the burning pan and then walk towards the burning pan while spraying with the extinguisher. Being too close to the pan when activating the fire extinguisher can allow the force of the spray to push the burning liquid off the pan.
• Never carry a burning pan. Don't try to put it in the sink or outside. Moving a burning pan can result in burns to the arms as flames are swept back over the arms holding the panhandle. In addition, the panhandle may be too hot to hold or starting to melt. A dropped pan can result in fire spreading to cabinets, curtains, flooring, walls, trash, or anything else in the kitchen. The fire may then spread to the whole house.
• If you cannot locate a lid or a fire extinguisher, a baking soda may be used to extinguish a pan fire as a last resort.
• If you extinguish the fire yourself, let the fire department check your kitchen.

For Oven Fires:

• Shut the oven door.
• Turn off the heat.
• Call the fire department using 911.
• Keep the door shut.
• Stand ready with a fire extinguisher until the fire department arrives.
• If the fire grows, discharge the extinguisher onto the base of the fire.

For Microwave Fires:

• Shut the microwave door.
• Unplug or turn off the microwave.
• Call the fire department using 911.
• Keep the door shut.
• Stand ready with a fire extinguisher until the fire department arrives.
• If the fire grows, discharge the extinguisher onto the base of the fire.