Posted: Wednesday 21st February 2018
Most fires in the home start in the kitchen.
That’s why we want you to remind yourself of a few basic cooking safety tips to keep you and your loved ones safe.
- Don’t leave your cooking unattended. If you have a stir fry in the pan, or potatoes on the boil, set yourself up in the kitchen where you can keep an eye on the cooking. If a fire starts, you’ll be around to react to the situation straight away.
- Watch your pan handles. Make sure saucepans are kept out of the reach of small hands, and keep handles turned in to avoid knocking them off the cooker.
- Take care with loose clothing, tea towels, and cloths. Loose clothing can catch fire during cooking, and leaving tea towels on the surface can put you at risk of fire should the cooker be accidentally switched on.
- Leave the drinking till after dinner is ready. A lot of cooking fires begin when the chef has had a drink too many. If you’ve come home from a night out, stick to snacks or treat yourself to the occasional takeaway – stay away from the cooker!
- Double check your cooker is switched off. It’s always worth a final check once you’ve finished cooking.
- Water and oil don’t mix. If a chip pan catches fire, the temptation can be to pour water over the flames – this can cause a fireball. Instead, turn the heat off if it is safe to do so.
- Don’t tackle fires on your own. Sometimes a damp tea towel will do they job, but if you’re in ANY doubt, get out, stay out, and dial 999 as soon as possible.
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