Let’s All Pay Attention When it Comes to Fire Prevention
Did you know that cooking fires are the leading cause of both home fires and home burn injuries? Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and deaths. The good news is that most cooking fires and burns are preventable. Therefore, this year’s Fire Prevention Week (FPW) theme, Cooking Safety Starts With YOU, could not be more relevant.
Whether cooking, baking or eating; kitchens serve as the central gathering place in the home for most families and often hold the key to many fond memories. Therefore, to best ensure all memories made are positive ones, fire and burn prevention is essential in keeping families safe. Here are six important preventative measures and safety tips to keep in mind:
Maintain Focus: Avoid distractions when cooking and never allow food to cook unattended.
Establish a Kid-Free-Zone: Ensure children have a buffer of at least three (3) feet in areas where hot foods or drinks are prepared.
Avoid a Balancing Act: Never hold a child at the same time as holding a hot beverage, carrying hot foods, or cooking, as this dangerous balancing act can lead to an accidental spill. Keep burns at bay by making sure hot liquids and food are placed in the center of the back of the counter.
Handle with Care: Whether taking food out of the microwave, off the stovetop or from the oven, always use oven mitts and open or remove lids away from your body. Turn pot handles to the back of the stove to avoid being pulled down or knocked over.
The Great Escape: As a family, make a fire escape plan. Identify two ways out of each room in the home in the event of a fire and decide on a meeting place.
Install Smoke Alarms: Every home needs working smoke alarms, which should be placed inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. Ensure everyone in the family knows the sound of the smoke alarm and what to do when they hear it. Test your smoke alarms every month and replace with fresh batteries at least once a year (hearing a “chirping” sound means that it's time to change batteries). Also, since sensors can wear out, replace smoke alarms at least every 10 years.
Preventative strategies, like these, which help guide children throughout North America to make safer and healthier decisions are at the forefront of the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® (PAF Safety Day) program. Bringing a PAF Safety Day to your local school or community has never been easier. Learn more about the Program, by visiting www.progressiveag.org or click here to submit an interest form.
Since 1922, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has sponsored the public observance of FPW, which takes place annually during the second full week of October. This year’s FPW will be celebrated October 8-14, 2023. For additional FPW resources for families and activities for children, visit https://www.nfpa.org/fpw.
The “Safety Day Corner” is a safety message by the Progressive Agriculture Foundation® (PAF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, with the mission to provide education, training, and resources to make farm, ranch, and rural life safer and healthier for all children and their communities. Recognized as the largest rural safety and health education program for children in North America, the Foundation’s Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program has reached millions of participants since its inception in 1995. For more information about PAF and its programs, visit: www.progressiveag.org.