Wheeling Firefighters Focus on Cooking Safety for Fire Prevention Week
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WHEELING -- The Wheeling Fire Department wants residents to know that the recipe for safe cooking is more than the ingredients that go into the meal.
Cooking, according to the National Fire Protection Association, is the leading cause of home fires. The WFD and NFPA are using this week's Fire Prevention Week to remind people to be careful when working in the kitchen, and local firefighters will be in the community this week to educate residents about cooking safely.
This year's National Fire Prevention Week, running through Saturday, is themed "Cooking Safety Starts With You: Pay Attention To Fire Prevention" and aims to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take when cooking to keep themselves and those around them safe.
According to NFPA, 49% of all home fires involve cooking equipment. Cooking is also the leading cause of home fire injuries and unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires and related deaths.
"Don't leave your kitchen if cooking on the stove," said Wheeling Assistant Fire Chief Deric Jamison. "At WFD, most, if not all cooking fires we've responded to over the years are a result of an unwatched stove.
"Keep an eye on what you're doing, if you need to leave the room, turn the burner off."
Jamison also suggests never leaving non-cooking related items on the stovetop even when it is turned off. This includes items like groceries, dish towels, paper towels, food packaging and leftover food.
The WFD Bureau of Fire Prevention also suggests keeping a lid handy should a grease fire occur and having oven or hand mitts around to avoid burns. Foods with longer cook times, such as those that are simmering or baking, should be monitored carefully by setting a timer.
As part of the week's educational campaign, the department will have informational tables set up from 1-3 p.m. Monday at the Mount DeChantal Kroger, 1-3 p.m. Tuesday at Elm Grove Riesbeck's and 1-3 p.m. Wednesday at the Warwood Kroger.
National Fire Prevention Week -- now in its 101st year -- was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of Oct. 8-10, 1871, which killed roughly 300 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres.
WFD also reminds everyone to change the batteries in their smoke alarms twice a year -- most notably on the "fall back" and "spring forward" clock changes. This year's "fall back" date is Sunday, Nov. 5.