Each year, across North America, Fire Prevention Week is marked in October. The week-long educational event commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that killed 300 people and destroyed more than three square miles of the mid-western American city.
This year, the theme of Fire Prevention Week is 'Serve up fire safety in the kitchen.' It makes sense. The number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries is cooking.
It's a statistic that is borne out in Orillia as the Orillia Fire Department (OFD) receives dozens of kitchen fire calls each year, says Dave Baker, Fire Prevention Officer.
“Most of the time it's people being distracted. That’s why at Thanksgiving and Christmas time, when people are drinking and have other people around, they leave the stove unattended and forget what they are doing,” he explained.
Always keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Leave the pan covered until it’s cool. #FirePreventionWeek #FPW2020 pic.twitter.com/KnUBzb5BBJ
— Office of the Fire Marshal (@ONFireMarshal) October 7, 2020
Baker says cooking fires are preventable if people take a little more caution and care while preparing food.
“We recommend that when you are cooking in your home that you stay in the kitchen. If you have to leave the kitchen or you are talking on the phone, take your spatula with you, so you don’t forget,” he said.
Baker says that one of the main subjects they are touching on this year while educating community members is how to extinguish a kitchen fire.
“People will automatically put water on it to try and put it out, which can create an explosion, or they will try and pick up the pot and take it to another location, which will of course spill flaming grease all over the place and all over the person's arms, spreading the fire across the space,” Baker explained.
“You want to make sure you have a lid that fits your pot or pan. Instead of using a fire extinguisher or a wet towel, you can just put a lid on the pot, turn the fuel off and the fire will go out.”
The OFD is also using fire prevention week to remind people to check, test, and clean their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Baker says those devices should be replaced if they are more than 10 years old.
“Less than 10% of the population will check them regularly. People get caught up in other things but hopefully through Fire Prevention Week we can remind people,” he said.
Typically, during Fire Prevention Week, members of the OFD will visit schools and public places where they educate people about fire safety with demonstrations. Because of COVID-19, that isn’t possible this year.
“The whole idea of re-working the way we do business has made things a little more difficult, but we are adapting and making sure people are in a safe position,” Baker said.
This year the OFD is using their social media accounts and website to spread the word about fire safety. They have posted some helpful tips on keeping a fire-safe home, as well as a video that demonstrates what happens when you add water to a grease fire. You can find all the fire prevention week information and demonstrations at Orillia.ca/whatshot.
