This February, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is urging residents to take care whilst cooking.
Half of all fires in the home are started in the kitchen*. We want to help you reduce the chances of an accidental fire in your home as part of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) month- long campaign.
One of the main reasons fires start in the kitchen is distraction – make sure you stay alert. Even a simple phone call can be a potential distraction, so keep an eye on your cooking at all times.
Our eight top safety tips are:
1. Never leave cooking unattended.
2. If you do need to leave the kitchen, turn the heat down.
3. Make sure children are supervised while in the kitchen, and keep matches and saucepan handles out of their reach to keep them safe.
4. Make sure that electrical appliances are kept away from water.
5. Don’t cook if you’ve been drinking alcohol or taking certain medication.
6. When you’re done cooking, make sure the cooker is off.
7. If a pan catches fire, turn the heat off if it is safe to do so. Never throw water over it.
8. Don’t tackle a fire yourself – get out and call 999.
Christopher Davies, Station Manager at RBFRS, said: “We know how easy it is to become distracted in the kitchen – busy family lives, phones – but it’s when people lose their focus in the kitchen that a potentially deadly fire can start. There are simple steps that you and your loved ones can take to ensure that you are kept safe from a potential kitchen fire, in particular, making sure that you don’t leave cooking unattended.”
For more tips, have a look at our cooking safety page.
*Fire Kills