Firefighters serving up kitchen safety tips

Sjodin has one safety tip above all for preventing fires in the kitchen.

“The big thing is when you’re cooking stay in the kitchen with your food. We have a long weekend coming up so If you’re cooking a turkey you can’t stay in there all day but if you’re going to leave the kitchen set a timer is the big one just so you don’t forget about it,” he said.

Other safety messages he and other firefighters want to get out this year are to keep a kid-free zone in the kitchen particularly around the stove, keep a lid nearby and keep cooking areas free of clutter.

Another important piece of advice is to stay out of the kitchen if you’re impaired or drowsy.

In that cases, says Sjodin, “cooking isn’t something that you should do because if you forget about it or it goes off obviously you’re going to wake up and you probably won’t be sleeping in your house that night.

Fire prevention officers would normally be going to schools to do fire safety presentations for students. This year they are sending learning materials to teachers for their use and are getting the message out online as well.

For more on Fire Prevention Week visit nfpa.org.

by Chris Brown

Firefighters serving up kitchen safety tips

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