This year’s campaign, “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire prevention™”, works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe when cooking.
Oct. 8-14 is Fire Prevention Week, and 2023 marks the 101st anniversary of this important public safety campaign. Fire safety education isn’t just for school children. It’s important for every member of the community to take some time during Fire Prevention Week to make sure they understand how to stay safe in case of a fire.
Did you know? Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and deaths. The good news is you can prevent most cooking fires and burns. Help keep your family safer with some simple but effective tips.
Be alert
- Stand by your pan! Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen, even for a short time, turn off the stove.
- Always keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner.
- Watch what you heat. Set a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
Keep your cooking area safe
- Be cautious when using a grill. When your grill is in use, it should be in an open space, away from anything that might catch fire, including siding, deck railings, eaves and tree branches. Keep the grill away from play areas and places with high foot traffic. Establish a three-foot radius around the grill as a kid-free zone.
- Keep the stovetop, oven and burners clean to prevent grease fires.
- Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove to avoid accidentally bumping or knocking them over.
About Fire Prevention Week
Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.
Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country.
