The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in any households, but unbeknownst to many, the kitchen can provide many hazards, the most common being kitchen fires. So an understanding of residential fire protection methods could save your and your family’s lives.
The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in any households, but unbeknownst to many, the kitchen can provide many hazards, the most common being kitchen fires. In 2010-2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 166,100 home structure fires per year that involved cooking equipment. These fires caused an average of 480 civilian fire deaths, 5,540 civilian fire injuries, and $1.1 billion in direct property damage. More than half (55%) of reported non-fatal home cooking fire injuries occurred when the victims tried to fight the fire themselves, so an understanding of residential fire protection methods could save your and your family’s lives.
Residential Fire Protection Starts with Cooking Safely
The most important point about cooking is to avoid being distracted. Most kitchen fires occur when people leave things unattended. If you’re called away from the cooker by the phone or by someone at the door, take pans off the heat; it’s the easiest thing in the world to forget about them. Turn saucepan handles so they don’t stick out where they can be accidentally knocked, by either yourself or young children, while keeping the handles away from hot rings. Always keep your oven door shut and don’t put oven gloves or tea towels down on the stove after you’ve used them, as even though the stoves are turned off, they still take a time to cool down.
In Case of an Emergency
There are two schools of thought on whether you should provide fire extinguishers in the home. One is that you should not attempt to extinguish a fire. An untrained person cannot and should not tackle a fire. The other is that it is up to the individual and if they consider themselves capable, it’s in their power to protect themselves. Either way, the fire service usually recommends that if you have a fire in the kitchen, don’t take any risks, get everyone out of your home and call the Fire and Rescue Service. If you’re not sure you can handle the fire or if it is spreading from its starting point then it is almost certainly already too big and you should leave the building. If you cannot deal with the fire, close the door on the way out, and call 911.
Residential and Commercial Fire Prevention from Judd Fire Protection
Be prepared and insure your home; even taking all of the requisite steps doesn’t always prevent a kitchen fire! Trust Judd Fire Protection, LLC. We have over two decades of experience with design, installation, service, and inspection of residential and commercial fire protection systems. We service clients throughout the Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. If you are interested in finding out more about our services and protecting your home and business, give us a call at 410-871-3480 or contact us online. For more fire safety tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.