In the city of Homewood, cooking fires are the number one cause of structure fires. Learning to cook safely can prevent injury to you or others and prevent damage to your home. With Thanksgiving cooking season approaching fast, Fire Chief John Bresnan from the Homewood Fire & Rescue Service has passed along some cooking safety tips:
Never use a charcoal, gas or wood-burning grill or a turkey fryer inside your home or garage.
Turn on the hood exhaust fan when using your stove or oven in order to prevent carbon monoxide build-up.
Make sure that your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are tested, and change their batteries regularly.
Stay by the stove when a burner is on. A stove fire can erupt quickly, so it is important that you are near it to put out the flames.
Heat oil gradually. Never pour oil into a hot pan because it can burst into flames within seconds. It is safer to pour oil into the pan before you turn the burner on.
If grease or oil in the pan ignites, smother the fire with a fire extinguisher, a lid or baking soda, and turn off the stove. Never use water, which causes grease fires to spread.
Maintain a dry chemical (ABC) fire extinguisher in an easily accessible location in your kitchen.
-Submitted by Homewood Fire Department
