Home Cooking Fires Peak during the Holidays

According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking fires are the No.1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries.

With Thanksgiving tomorrow and Christmas and Hanukkah around the corner, an added home fire safety risk is at hand, and local fire departments want to make sure families have a safe, special and accident-free holiday by following some important life-saving tips.

Second Assistant Chief Rob Mirabile from the said there has been an increase in appliance-related fires and said the biggest tip he can offer is to use common sense.

“You need to make sure your appliances are in working order,” Mirabile said. “The majority of the time a cooking fire is due to a not well maintained cooking area or the family is over and they get a little distracted from their cooking and they’re not really paying attention to what they’re going.”

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, cooking was the cause of almost half of residential building fires in 2009, all which could have been avoided.

“We definitely recommend that people should not be frying turkeys in their house, it should be done outside in an open are,” Mirabile said. “We also recommend that if you do have an appliance fire, the first thing you need to do is call a fire department, not try to put it out yourself and to turn that appliance off if you can.”

The , Garden City Park Fire Dept, Nassau County Firefighters Museum and NFPA offered the following safety guidelines:

• Smoke detectors should be put in every home on every level of the home. Pick a holiday or birthday to replace the batteries each year on that day.
• Do not use the stove if you are sleepy or have consumed any alcohol.
• Stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food. If you keep the kitchen unattended, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• When simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food, check it regularly and remain home while the food is cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch on fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, curtains — away from the stovetop.
• Keep children away from appliances when cooking. Have a "kid-free zone" around the stove and teach youngsters not to play in that area.
• Avoid loose fitting clothing while cooking. Roll-up sleeves or, if possible, wear short or tight fitting sleeves when cooking.
• Try not to reach over the stove. You can avoid this by not storing items you use directly over or behind the stovetop.
• Turn handles inward so pots and pans won't be pulled or knocked off the stove.
• Obtain and learn how to use a fire extinguisher.

What to do if you have a cooking fire:

• Get out of the house as fast as possible. When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.
• If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are out of the house and you have a clear way out.
• Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

“With a common sense approach and really paying attention to what you’re doing, most of the cooking related fires can be avoided,” Mirabile said.

More fire safety tips can be found on both the New Hyde Park Fire Department and Garden City Park Fire Department Websites.