Fire Safety Tips While Cooking in the Kitchen

As we observe Fire Safety Month this October, it’s an important reminder to focus on fire prevention, particularly as we prepare for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. With the holidays coming up, many of us are doing a lot more cooking in our homes than usual.

That’s why our team compiled a list of some precautions to take to prevent fires and ensure your home’s safety during the holiday season.

1. If leaving the kitchen, turn everything off: When cooking especially frying, grilling, or broiling, never leave the kitchen unattended. We know a lot of times, we can get distracted by many other things, but if you leave the house, turn off the stove.
2. Keep flammable items away: Ensure that anything that can catch fire, such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, and towels, are kept away from your stovestop.
3. Avoid wearing loose clothing: Long sleeves or loose-fitting clothing can catch fire if they come into contact with a gas flame or electric burner.
4. Be cautious with deep-frying: Deep-frying turkeys can be dangerous. Always use the fryer outdoors, on a flat surface, and away from any structures.
5. Have a fire extinguisher on hand: Ensure you have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and know how to use it. A Class K extinguisher ideal for cooking fires.
6. Install smoke alarms: Make sure smoke alarms are installed on every level of your home, inside bedrooms, and outside sleeping areas. Test them monthly to ensure they’re working properly.
7. Make sure you have your insurance agents phone number saved on your phone incase of an emergency.