Cooking Safety…
More than 50% of the fires that we attend are caused by cooking. Distraction is the main cause of these fires, with pans and grills left to set alight because they’ve not been looked after properly. ‘Look when you cook’ and ‘Don’t make fast food your last food’.
Top 10 cooking tips..
· Look when you cook. Take any pans off the heat if you have to leave the room. If your pan does catch fire do not remove or attempt to extinguish it. Get out!
· Do not use a chip pan, use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer instead
· Do not leave children alone in the kitchen whilst cooking with the hob or oven
· Do not place anything metallic in the microwave
· Keep electrical leads away from water and keep electrical leads and cloths away from the hob
· Avoid cooking if you have been drinking alcohol
Keep the oven and grill clean, a build-up of fat and grease may catch fire
· Take care if wearing loose clothing as it can easily catch fire particularly when using the hob
· When you have finished cooking, double check that you have turned off the oven
· Do not use matches or lighters to light gas cookers. Spark devices are safer.
Electrical Safety in the Home
Did you know faulty electrics such as overloaded sockets and faulty electrical appliances cause house fires..
- When using electronic devices always use the official charger and
don’t be tempted to use cheap counterfeit replicas instead.
- Ensure that you replace all damaged cables and chargers.
- Make sure all electrical appliances have a British or European
safety mark when you buy them.
- Don’t overload your sockets – keep one appliance to one plug where
possible and use the socket overload calculator to reduce the risk of fire.
- Unplug appliances when you are going to bed or not using them.
- High powered appliances such as washing machines should have a
single plug socket.
- Never use square box plug adapters, and if using a strip
adapter/extension make sure it’s fused and don’t overload it.
- If using a cable drum extension lead, it should be completely unwound to avoid overheating.