The kitchen is one of the areas of your home at greatest risk from fire, particularly when cooking goes unattended. Fortunately, a little knowledge and preparedness goes a long way toward preventing this kitchen emergency from getting out of control. One of the most important things to keep in your kitchen is an ABC-certified fire extinguisher (figure A), which can put out fires from ordinary combustible materials, liquid grease and electrical equipment. To use a fire extinguisher correctly, just remember the acronym PASS: - Pull the pin.
- Aim the fire extinguisher at the base of the fire.
- Squeeze the trigger.
- Sweep the fire extinguisher from side to side.
You won't need a fire extinguisher for most fires. For instance, if the grease in a pot suddenly catches fire, just use a potholder to put a lid on the pot and smother the flames. Then turn the burner off. If a fire starts in your oven, turn off the oven, close the door, and watch for smoke. If the oven continues to smoke, call the fire department. Clean your oven frequently to prevent food particles from building up. Baked-on food particles are one of the most common causes of oven fires. Don't use water to put out a grease fire or a candle fire. The water spreads the grease and spreads the fire. Instead, smother the fire with a solid fireproof object or a fire extinguisher. Don't put aluminum foil or any other metals inside a microwave oven unless they are specifically designed for microwave use. Metals can create sparks and burn or melt the plastic housing of your microwave. Don't put a smoke detector or a carbon-monoxide detector in the kitchen. Instead, put them in a room near the kitchen. When smoke from the stove or oven sets off smoke detectors, people often remove the batteries and forget to replace them. Keep a first-aid kit in the kitchen. The kit should include bandages, wraps and burn cream. Never put butter or grease on a burn; instead, hold the burned area under cool running water for 5 minutes. Set up a fire-escape plan (figure B) for your family. Everyone should know how to reach the closest unobstructed exit from the house as well as where to meet outside.
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