Fire Safety Tips for Kitchens
Of all the rooms in the home the kitchen has the greatest potential for the outbreak of fire, as it is used to cook and it contains a lot of electrical items.
The following precautions will help you to reduce the risk of fire in your kitchen:
- Install a fire extinguisher and fire blanket and familiarise yourself with their use
- Take care and never leave the cooker unattended when using deep fat fryers, hot cooking oil and chip pans
- If the cooking oil catches fire, use a fire blanket to put it out. Do not move the pan or use water to extinguish flames
- Avoid the use of chip pans if possible. If you must use them:
- Never leave them unattended
- Never fill the pan more than a third full of oil
- Never move a hot chip pan
- Clean and replace filters in extractor fans on a regular basis
- Ensure your cooker is always clean from grease and fully switched off after use. Don’t have anything combustible near the cooker
- Develop safe and sensible cooking habits. Saucepan handles should be turned in, but not over other rings
- Treat kitchen appliances and electrical leads with care, and ensure that leads do not cross over cooker rings
- Ensure you have a working carbon monoxide alarm for rooms with a stove, fireplace or gas/oil boiler.
Domestic electrical appliances such as washing machines and tumble dryers also have the potential to catch fire. Fire may occur either because of the friction of the moving parts within, or as a result of an electrical short circuit. If a fire occurs, turn off the power at the isolation switch (if possible), and close the door to the room while evacuating the house.
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