Fire

Did you know?

• Your twice as likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm.
• Cooking accidents are the cause of 32% of fires in the home.
• Faulty electrics (domestic appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets and household electrical devices),  are the cause of 28% of fires in the home.

In the kitchen

• Take extra care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn the heat down to avoid risk.
• Make sure saucepan handles don’t stick out – so they don’t get knocked off the stove.
• Take care if you are wearing loose clothing – they can easily catch fire.
• Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
• Spark devices are safer than matches or lighters to light gas cookers because they don’t have a naked flame.
• Turn cookers off when you have finished cooking.
• Keep the oven, hob and grill clean and in good working order. A build up of fat and grease can ignite a fire.

Fat frying

• Take extra care when cooking with hot oil – it set alight easily.
• Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash.
• If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot! Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.
• Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer. They can’t overheat.
• If your pan catches on fire, don’t take any risks. Turn off the heat if it’s safe to do so. Never throw water over it. Don’t tackle it yourself, get out, stay out and get the Fire & Rescue Service out.

Electrics

To avoid electrical fires:

• Make sure an electrical appliance has a British or European safety mark when you buy it.
• Certain appliances, such as washing machines, should have a single plug to themselves as they are high powered.
• Check wiring for scorch marks, loose and frayed old cables.

Know the limit!

A multi-socket extension lead will have a limit to how many amps it can take, so be careful not to overload them as this may increase the risk of a fire. Appliances use different amounts of power – a television may use a 3amp plug and vacuum cleaner a 5amp plug for example.  Click here to go to the electrical socket calculator to see if you are overloading your sockets.

Make a bedtime check.

You are more at risk from a fire when asleep. So it’s a good idea to check your home before you go to bed.

• Close internal doors at night to stop a fire from spreading.
• Turn off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are desiged to be left on – such as fridge / freezer.
• Check your cooker is turned off.
• Don’t leave washing machines, tumble dryers and dish washers on.
• Turn off heaters and put up fireguards.
• Put candles and cigarettes out properly.
• Make sure exits are kept clear.
• Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them.