Kitchen Safety

Cooking fires are the leading cause of fires in the home, and the second most frequent cause of death to the elderly

• Do Not Leave cooking unattended.  Turn off the burner if you must leave the house, even if it's only for a few minutes.
• Put a Lid on pots or pans to smother fires that flare up while cooking.
• Never Throw Water or Flour in a burning pot or pan.  Water will spread the flames, and flour could actually explode.
• Turn off the Heat and leave the door closed for oven fires.
• Have a Fire Extinguisher in your home.
• Shorten or Remove Curtains near or over your stove.  A simple stove fire may turn into a house fire from burning curtains.

Microwave Burn Protection

Microwaves can cause scalding burns if used improperly.

• Read and follow the product manufacturer's directions
• After taking food out of the microwave, remove the wrapper away from your face to avoid escaping steam.
• Hot liquids poured into disposable bottles may cause them to burst.
• Food microwaved may feel cool to the touch on the surface, only to be scalding hot in the middle.
• Be careful when heating liquids.  Containers may only fee warm, rather than hot, but the liquid inside may be scalding hot.

Clothing Fires

• Do not wear clothing with long, loose sleeves while cooking.
• Use pins or elastic bands to hold up rolled back sleeves while cooking.
• Long sleeves are more likely to catch fire and may also overturn pots and cause scalding burns.

Do you Overheat Your Water?

• Did you know that hot water burns more children and adults than any other accident?
• Length of time to receive a third-degree burn:
  156^o = 1 second
  149^o = 2 seconds
  140^o = 5 seconds
  133^o = 15 seconds
  127^o = 60 seconds
  124^o = 3 minutes
• Learn to protect yourself and your family
• Most water heaters are set to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lower the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees.