Firefighters demonstrate how not to cook your chips!
Firefighters in Rugby will be showing catering students how to cook safely as part of the national chip week campaign.
A chip pan fire demonstration unit will be visiting local schools and colleges in the area including Rugby High School, Avon Valley and Warwickshire College.
The demonstrations will show students how easy it is for a chip pan fire to get out of control and how quickly a fire can ignite once the oil has reached temperature.
Firefighter, Simon Guard said:
“Thousands of chip pan fires occur every year, killing and injuring many people needlessly. What we are trying to do is show young people how quickly a fire can start and the consequences of leaving cooking unattended.
“Although we will be using shock tactics with the demonstration, we want to assure students that simple measures can be taken to make themselves and their house mates safer.”
By following a few simple steps, the chances of you having a fire can significantly be reduced:
- Buy your chips from a chip shop or use oven chips.
- Have a clear escape route
- Under no circumstances use water on a chip pan fire. It will flare up and you will get burnt!
- Use an electric deep fryer instead of a chip pan, this will be fitted with a safety cut out to prevent ignition of the oil.
- When cooking never leave pans unattended, even for a moment. Fires start when attention stops.
- Never be tempted to start cooking if tired or even a bit worse for wear following a night out. Many fires begin when people fall asleep whilst preparing hot food.
- Make sure you have a working smoke alarm on each floor of your property.
If you are concerned about fire safety in your home, call 01926 466282 and ask for a free home fire safety check or log onto: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/hfsc