News
Home Fire Safety: Preventing Kitchen Fires
28 May 2020
Of all the reasons a fire may occur in the home environment, cooking is one of the most common causes.
Each year firefighters are called out to respond to hundreds upon hundreds of cooking fires in Australia which can result in the loss of one’s home, burn injuries or even fatalities in extreme cases. Fire authorities report varying figures of between 40-50% of all residential house fires originating in the kitchen. And our records indicate 1 in every 3 homes that we visit for the first time don’t have a working smoke alarm, putting occupant lives at risk.
The truth is that even where residents have smoke alarms and have regular smoke alarm maintenance conducted, common sense doesn’t always prevail in the kitchen. People are not as prepared as they should be and don’t always pay as much attention to what they are doing as they should either. The key to protecting yourself from a kitchen fire is knowing the risks, and what to do to minimise them.
The number one rule is simple enough – never leave cooking unattended! But that’s just the start. Below is a checklist of safety tips we strongly encourage you to observe.
As always, make sure you have a working smoke detector and do not neglect regular smoke alarm testing. Only working smoke alarms save lives.