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Fire Prevention Week: Serve Up Fire Safety in The Kitchen

Laura Hampshire
Oct 4, 2020 | 9:34 AM
Last Updated: Oct 4, 2020 | 4:27 PM
Fire Prevention Week: Serve Up Fire Safety in The Kitchen


If there was a fire in your home, would you know how to escape safely?

It’s Fire Prevention Week across North America and this year’s theme is “Serve Up Fire Safety in The Kitchen.”

Officials say kitchen fires remain the leading cause of home fires in the province, with 38% of all residential fires involving cooking equipment.

They say these tragic fires are often a preventable incident, so long as everyone pays attention while cooking. The average person spends at least one hour in their kitchen on a daily basis.

Simple steps to serve up fire safety in the kitchen include:

    • Always stay in the kitchen when cooking and turn off the stove if you must leave the kitchen.
    • Keep a proper fitting lid near the stove. If a pot of oil catches fire, slide the lid over the pot and turn off the stove. Do not move the pot. Never throw water on a burning pot.
    • Keep anything that burns – plastic utensils, dishcloths, paper towels – a safe distance from the stove.
    • Cook responsibly. To prevent cooking fires, you must be alert. You will not be alert if you have consumed alcohol or drugs.
    • Wear tight-fitting or rolled up sleeves when using the stove. Loose, dangling clothing can easily catch fire.
    • Keep young kids one metre away from the stove. Turn pot handles away from the stove’s edge so they can’t be easily knocked off.
    • If you burn yourself while cooking, run cool water over the wound for three to five minutes. If the burn is severe, seek medical attention.

Working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are the first defense to notify occupants should a fire occur in the home.

For more details on Fire Prevention Week, please click here.

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