Kitchens are top of the list for domestic fires!
Warwickshire County Council's Fire and Rescue Service is asking residents to take extra care when cooking after revealing that kitchen fires are still the biggest cause of domestic fires in Warwickshire.
In 2005/06 Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service attended 150 Kitchen fires. In 2006/07 this dropped to 138. This is a significant reduction, but there are still too many incidents.
Area Risk Manager, David Vazquez said:
“Kitchen fires are very common, due to them having the most appliances with their own heat source. These include the cooker, grills, toasters, kettles, deep fat fryers and sandwich toasters. Power supplies being left on or left unattended also cause a high number of kitchen fires, 77 in total for Warwickshire. So when you are in the kitchen, just take extra care and think before leaving pans unattended!”
By following our top ten tips you can help to reduce the risk of a fire in your kitchen:
Keep electrical leads from trailing over or going near the cooker.
Don’t hang tea towels or cloths on or over the cooker.
Keep the oven, hob and grill clean. A build-up of fat and bits of food can start a fire.
Do not leave pan handles overhanging another ring or sticking out where they could be tipped over.
Don’t put anything metallic inside the microwave.
Keep electrical leads away from water.
Don’t overload sockets – one plug per socket is the rule, especially if the appliance takes a lot of power (like a kettle).
Don’t run extension cables across the floor as they will be a trip hazard and can also become worn.
Electrical appliances – especially those that work at high speeds, such as the washing machine – should be serviced each year.
Don’t leave appliances such as washing machines or dishwashers on at night.
In closing David said:
“We are really pleased with the reduction in the amount of kitchen fires we have attended, especially chip pan fires, which have reduced from 22 incidents in 2004/05 to 12 incidents in 2005/06. This is quite a dramatic reduction and one, which we hope will continue. It shows that by working with people in the local community through initiatives such as our home fire safety checks and fire safety events, that the risk of fires in the home can be reduced.”
For more information on how to keep your home safe call 01926 466282 and find out whether you are eligible for a Free Home Fire Safety Check. Alternatively you can complete an application form on-line at: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fireandrescue