This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme was fire safety in the kitchen, but even without fire, heat still poses a danger.

Submitted by Fire Inspector Marsha McCurdy Adell

The year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week was “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” and the campaign focused on kitchen fire safety and reminds us that it’s everyone responsibility to be fire safe, especially at home.

The West Hartford Fire Department wants to remind you that unfortunately, kitchen dangers don’t only exist in the form of fires. Accidents and injuries that occur in the kitchen often arise from the amount of heat produced by our stove tops and ovens. Being careful and vigilant in taking simple steps to be safe will have you enjoying your meal. Here are a few reminders:

• Keep your pot and pan handles positioned over the countertop and not over the front of the stove. This way, you’ll be less likely to bump into them and cause a hot spill.
• Use the appropriate temperature for your cooking. Unexpected extremely hot oils and food can be a surprise that leads to burns.
• Never use the stove or open oven as a room heating source.
• Always keep a watchful eye on your food as it cooks. Overheating and over boiling can happen quickly and can cause a dangerous smoke condition, even before a fire starts.
• Stay close when using high heat on the stovetop. If you must answer the door or the phone, keep a spoon or a potholder in your hand so you have a visual reminder to get back to the kitchen ASAP.

It’s easy to get distracted, so please practice these tips regularly and they’ll become second nature.

Having properly placed smoke alarms and recognizing there sound is also very import in preventing false alarms yet giving early notice of smoke or fire in your home. If ever there’s an incident that does produce smoke or a fire, please call 9-1-1 immediately. Because smoke and fire spread can happen quickly, please wait for our arrival in a safe location.

The West Hartford Fire Department will respond quickly and with the right equipment to protect you and your home. We want you to enjoy preparing your meals and have the safest environment in which to do so.

Thank you for helping us in our mission to keep our community safe through fire prevention.

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