Fire Prevention Week Focuses on Cooking Safety

The Ocean City Fire Department is joining the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and other safety advocates this fall to remind children and adults about fire safety during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 8-14. This year’s campaign is “Cooking Safety Starts With You.” Ocean City firefighters want to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe when cooking. Cooking safety starts with you. 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. What can you do? The good news is you can prevent most cooking fires and burns. Help keep your family safe with some simple but effective tips. TURN pot handles toward the back of the stove. Always keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan/pot and turn off the burner. WATCH what you heat. Set a timer to remind you that you are cooking. HAVE a “Kid free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried. Fire can spread through a home rapidly, and in some cases, people may have as little as two minutes to escape to safety once the alarm sounds. The Ocean City Fire Department encourages residents to keep smoke alarms working and to leave immediately when a smoke alarm sounds. In addition, your best plan of action is to develop a home fire escape plan. Learn how to identify escape routes in the home and to choose an outside meeting place where everyone can gather after they’ve escaped. Practice ensures that everyone in the home knows the fire escape plan, they’re familiar with the sound of the smoke alarm, and they know how to exit quickly. Here are some key smoke alarm installation and maintenance tips: Install at least one smoke alarm on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area. Mount smoke alarms on ceilings or high walls Test smoke alarms once a month, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Replace batteries once a year or as soon as the device “chirps,” indicating that the battery is low. Replace all smoke alarms after 10 years, even those that are hard-wired or smoke alarms with “long-life” batteries. Smoke alarms with “long-life” batteries also need to be replaced when the alarm “chirps” or fails to respond to periodic testing. The batteries in these units cannot be replaced. Alarms that are hard-wired to the home’s electrical system should be installed by a qualified electrician. This year’s campaign purpose is to raise awareness about the dangers of fire, how to prevent it and how to be protected from it. Fire Prevention Week commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, in which more than 250 people died, 100,000 were left homeless and more than 17,400 structures were destroyed. Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. To learn more about Fire Prevention Week, visit NFPA at www.firepreventionweek.org.