Fire Prevention Week: Serve up fire safety in the kitchen

There has been a significant increase in fatal fires across Ontario, writes Central York Fire Service Chief Ian Laing

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 23, 2020
Ian Laing

If a fire occurs in your home, you may have less than five minutes to escape. This is why it is important to have a home escape plan and to practise it frequently. Doing so will help you make the most of your time and ensure that everyone gets out safely.

Did you know that cooking is the No. 1 leading cause of home fires and injuries? During the pandemic, in particular, there has been a significant increase in fatal fires across Ontario. The key to protecting your family in the event of a fire emergency, is maintaining smoke alarms and practising fire drills in the home.

This Fire Prevention Week, Central York Fire Services is sharing some simple ways to be safety smart in the kitchen:

• Always stay in the kitchen while cooking. If you must leave, turn off the stove.
• Keep anything that burns -- oven mitts, cooking utensils, dish cloths, paper towels and pot holders -- a safe distance from the stove.
• Always cook with a proper fitting lid. In the event of a grease fire, cover the pot or pan with a lid to suffocate the fire and turn off the heating element. Do not pour water onto a grease fire.
• If there is a fire in the oven or microwave: close the door and turn the power off to suffocate the fire. Do not pull contents out if they are on fire.
• Loose-fitting clothes can come into contact with stove burners and catch fire. Wear short sleeves, tight sleeves or roll them up when cooking
• In the event of a fire, alert others in the home, exit the home, then go to your meeting place to call 911 from a safe location once outside.

Due to the pandemic restrictions, CYFS is unable to host the 2020 open houses. In lieu of the opportunity to visit a fire hall, meet firefighters and learn about fire safety in person, they will be offering everything virtually!

CYFS will be offering daily virtual activities and learning opportunities from Oct. 4 to 10. Throughout the week, residents will be able to access videos, infographics and virtual games focusing on:

• Cooking safety and what to do in the event of a fire while cooking
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
• Emergency preparedness
• Home escape planning
• History of the fire service
• Virtual fire station and truck tour
• They can even meet a firefighter virtually and learn all about their gear!

For more fire prevention tips and to take part in the virtual Fire Prevention Week activities, visit cyfs.ca/firepreventionweek and @CentralYorkFire on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.