Fire Prevention Week: Tuesday

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Fire Prevention Week continues until October 10. This years theme is "Stay Fire Smart! Don't Get Burned" and focuses on burn awareness and prevention. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), firefighters and safety advocates have joined together to raise awareness about fire safety. Those advocates include the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Fire Corps who will provide one tip per day on an important fire prevention and safety topic. Fire departments can distribute these tips in their community or use them as part of their own campaign.

Tuesday, October 6: Kitchen Safety:

According to Fire Corps, many fires, burns and injuries occur in the kitchen. these tips will help keep you and your family safe.

• Always use pot holders or oven mitts when putting food in or taking food out of the oven and handling hot items on the stove.
• Don't put any hot food or liquids near the edge of the counter or table as they could spill, fall or get knocked over and cause burns.
• Always make sure the stove top is clean as residue grease can catch fire.
• If a fire should occur on the stove, carefully slide a pan lid over the flames (make sure you are wearing an oven mitt) and then turn off the heat.
• If a fire should occur in the oven, keep the door closed and turn off the heat to smother the fire.
• Never leave appliance cords dangling over the counter as children or pets could pull them and injure themselves.
• When microwaving water, let it sit a minute before removing the cup as water heated past the boiling point can erupt out of the cup.
• When using a microwave oven, make sure the containers and wrappings are microwave-safe. Never put metal (such as aluminum foil, staples, metal utensils, etc.) in a microwave.
• Remember that food heated in a microwave can be very hot and use care when removing it or opening lids or other packaging/covers after heating.
• Puncture plastic pouches and plastic wrap coverings before heating items in a microwave to reduce the risk of steam burns.

For more information on the NFPA's Fire Prevention Week visit their website at: www.firepreventionweek.org. For more cooking fire safety tips visit the Fire Corps Fire Prevention Week Resource Center at: www.firecorps.org/FirePreventionWeek.