Last week was Fire Prevention Week in California. CALFIRE, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, offered tips all week regarding preventing kitchen fires. Kitchen fires are the most common cause of residential San Diego fire damage. Cooking fires are also the leading cause of fire-related home injuries. Clean Earth Restorations gives you a synopsis of these important and smart tips:
- Have a 3-foot “kid free” zone around the stove or keep small children out of the kitchen altogether when using the stove.
- Stand by your pan and keep an eye on what you fry. Always turn the burner off if you leave the kitchen.
- Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so no one can bump them or pull them over. Consider using only the back burners if you have small children in the house.
- Have a fire extinguisher 10 feet from the stove on the exit side of the kitchen.
- NEVER pour water on a grease fire — it will spatter hot grease all over you. You must remove the fire’s oxygen supply by turning the stove off and covering the pan with a lid (or by closing the oven door if it’s an oven fire).
- Do not store anything on our near your stovetop that can catch fire including potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, towels, or curtains.
- If your clothing should catch fire, immediately STOP, DROP, AND ROLL to smother flames.
- Follow instructions carefully when using microwave ovens.
- Wipe grease spills around the stovetop as soon as cool enough, and keep stove exhaust hoods and ducts clean.
There’s no doubt that fire prevention is a better option than fire restoration if you have a choice. But if you have had the misfortune of having a fire in your home or business Clean Earth Restorations is here to help you deal with the fire, smoke and water damage, from debris and odor removal to complete repair and restoration to original condition. Contact us today for a free estimate.