Kitchen Fire Safety: All You Need To Know…

The most significant and the most functional space in a household is the kitchen. For different people, the kitchen has a different definition. For some, it is a place where they learn the art of cooking and take the baby steps to be an excellent cook. For some, it is a place that brings all the family together to do something fun. Regardless of how you define your kitchen or its purpose, one thing you can never plan for enough is accidents. Fire accidents are more likely to happen in the kitchen area of a household. There are a lot of cooking oils and fire practices involved in the domain. As studies and surveys confirm, a noticeable percentage of fire hazards are reported just from kitchen accidents. Cooking is the leading source of fire hazards, according to the NFPA. So, what can you possibly know about kitchen fire safety to keep you and your loved ones away from danger? Well, we are here to answer that question for you. We have curated a list of things you can practice in your kitchen and keep kitchen fire suppression safety in mind. This can act as your guide if you have no clue how to safeguard your kitchen and what measures and precautions you must take before engaging in an activity that could potentially be a fire hazard. Let’s get to the details. Shall we?

Proper Care of Kitchen Appliances

As it is modern times, we use a lot of electrical appliances in our kitchen. It is doubtful that a kitchen can survive nowadays without the presence of appliances that run on electricity. While these have turned out to be a great solution to manage time and ease the work in the kitchen, they also increase the chance of causing a fire accident by careless usage. Remember to unplug the appliances in your kitchen, such as bread toasters and microwave ovens. Since these are top-counter appliances, there is a high chance of them causing the fire. Always double-check if you have switched off the stove and any other electrical running equipment. To avoid short circuits and electric malfunctions, always keep the countertop clean from wet substances and dust. Anything that acts as a catalyst to cause a short circuit or fire is dangerous. Try not to overuse anything in the kitchen, as overusing can drive heat generation, which can cause a chaotic outburst or spark, eventually leading to a fire ignition in just a matter of seconds.

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Proper Attention and Supervision

We all tend to leave the stove on while making something, as it will take a little while to prepare. This is a long-time habit that most people possess. But before you keep leaving things unattended in the kitchen, know that it is perilous to leave a flame on in premises where there are things kept to cause an ignition. For example, if you have curtains installed on the windows near your stove, you can never anticipate the flame getting caught on the curtains and later leading to a more extensive fire. Like this, many little things that you leave unattended could cause a significant loss to you and your family. According to the NFPA, the major mistake that leads to a kitchen fire is unattended cooking. So be aware that there is always a person supervising or attending an activity in the kitchen. Especially if kids are around, you need to be extra precautious with kitchen fire extinguishers They would not know what could lead to a dangerous fire, so remember to install child locks and other safety measures on modern stoves and equipment to prevent them from using them. Always keep things that could cause trouble out of your children’s reach.

Dangerous Activities

The temperature variation of grease can cause disastrous fires. When it is too hot, it can catch fire quickly, and the chances of this fire spreading are high. Make sure you always clean the excess grease to eliminate the possibility of it overheating. If it did catch, it is easy to put down the fire by cutting down the oxygen supply and completely cutting off the heat source, which would immediately put out the fire. Another activity you should refrain from doing for kitchen fire safety is moving pots or vessels on the stove while the flame is on. This could go wrong if the stove flames get too much oxygen intake and spread to the other things in the kitchen. Before you move anything from the stove’s top, make sure it’s turned off. In case of an emergency, always keep a lid by your side if something goes sideways while you are cooking on the stove.

Avoid Clutter in the Kitchen

Have you noticed that fire is most likely to occur in a crowded, suffocating space containing potential entities that could catch fire easily? This is because a bit of ignition will take no time to spread from one to another as everything is so close to each other, and a collective fire of a lot of substances is much worse than just a particular substance. To avoid this possibility, keep your kitchen free of clutter. Always have a separate space for maintaining the appliances and cooking oils or any flammable substances that could cause trouble. Keeping cooking oils and greasy substances far away from the stove is very much appreciated. This way, even if you or the children at home spill something flammable or the heat reacts, it will be away from the danger, and you can immediately clean it before it goes near the stove. This also applies to kitchen essentials like washing clothes, oven mitts, aluminum foils, or plastic things. It is wiser to keep these away from the stove and keep them in closed spaces so that they are not in the proximate region of burner flames.

Cooking Methods

There are a lot of methods involved in preparing food in the kitchen, and a few of them are a little more likely to contribute to a kitchen fire. So to ensure your kitchen’s fire safety, you need to be extra careful while doing some of the methods. For example, frying anything in essential cooking oils is a tricky part. If not done correctly, it could spill near the stove and cause a potential fire burst. Avoid using a lot of oil, and if it is unavoidable, make sure it doesn’t cause any spills. Make sure to buy high-quality kitchen utensils for household purposes. The materials you use play an essential part in your kitchen’s fire safety. If the pans and other utensils you use for cooking are poorly manufactured, coupling them with a temperature difference can be hazardous. Always double check if they can hold the stove’s heat and are made of non-hazardous materials.

Avoid using plastic on the burner flames because that could cause a fire accident very likely.

Burnt food can also cause a fire if not properly supervised. Make sure you always leave the stove on a low flame to eliminate this possibility.

Appropriate Fabric Choice

Fabrics are susceptible to fire. Thinner fabrics are the most likely to catch fire. Remember to use cleaning cloths and other materials in the kitchen as thick as possible and made of materials that are not prone to fire ignition. The most likely fabrics to avoid in the kitchen premises are satin, viscose, thin cotton, and fiber. It is very much expected for an item of clothing to catch fire from the flames while you are moving a hot pan from the stove if the cloth is made of thin fabric, as the above said. Make sure the person working in the kitchen wears thick clothes that are safe from fire. It is also helpful to wear short-sleeved dresses as long sleeves can turn to bother you while you are constantly working near the fire. Don’t stand too close to the stove while it is on. This can avoid possible burns and also keep your clothes away from the flames, which will be a more thoughtful decision.

Kitchen Ventilation and Exhaust System

It is very important to have proper ventilation for your kitchen as a part of kitchen fire safety.

All the smoke and other residues in the atmosphere go to the ventilation duct, and if it is not correctly taken care of or cleaned often enough, it could cause a massive fire breakdown. A clean kitchen ventilation duct will provide fresh air to the kitchen and let all the unwanted smoke and humidity out of the kitchen. So regularly clean your kitchen ventilation duct to keep your kitchen safe from fire. If the kitchen’s temperature increases, that could cause ignition in any of the things included in the kitchen; it could be an electronic appliance or even cooking oils that possess a low-temperature point. Remember to install proper exhaust fans and smoke detection system in the kitchen to avoid overheating conditions inside the premises. Always seek professional help to install quality exhaust fans and kitchen ventilation systems as it is safer for certified professionals to handle these implementations. Regular fire inspection of these is necessary to assure the proper working of them.

Smoke Alarms

It is prevalent to have smoke alarms installation on your household premises to alert you if any potential fire is starting as soon as possible. But a vital area where these should be installed is in your kitchen. This is a prominent solution for your kitchen fire safety. Ensure to install smoke alarms at least ten feet away from all the electronic appliances in your kitchen. The smoke alarm will immediately alert you if there is any temperature difference or unusual smoke in the atmosphere, and you can take the required measures to secure the perimeter. Since the kitchen is an area where smoke can happen quite often, you can opt for photoelectric alarms instead. These smoke alarms are considered less prone to false alarms so that you won’t have to worry about the alarm blaring off on sensing harmless smoke in the kitchen. Always make sure you do this process with a certified professional. There are a lot of things to be considered during the implementation, such as the placement and size of the kitchen, the number of fire alarm system that should be installed inside, at what distance they should be placed, etc. There should always be a regular inspection of the smoke alarms to check whether they are in working condition.

Fire Extinguishers

We are all familiar with fire extinguishers as they are the most common method of putting down moderate fire hazards. Keep fire extinguishers on every level of your home where they are easily accessible when there is a cause for the fire. If the fire has already occurred and you need to exit the perimeter immediately, always install fire extinguishers on the way of your escape path to put out light fires so you can get out of the affected area safely without any burn injuries. Always be careful about where you keep your fire extinguishers. Avoid keeping it anywhere near the gas pipeline or the stove region. Appliances should be far away from where the fire extinguishers are kept. It is not an easy task to use an extinguisher without proper knowledge of its working. Always stand five feet away from the fire with the extinguisher, giving it space to put down the fire completely so it doesn’t invoke any flames. Make sure you get professionals to help while installing and learning to use them. It is also helpful to check the pressure inside the extinguishers twice a year to ensure they will be beneficial in a possible fire hazard.

TAS Fire Protection is the leading fire protection company in Canada, and with good reason. Our Kitchen Fire Suppression System and fire extinguishers are designed to keep your home or business safe from potential fires. We use state-of-the-art technology to ensure that our products meet the highest safety standards while still being affordable and easy to install. No matter what your needs are, we have a solution that will fit them perfectly. With our comprehensive range of products, you can be sure that you are getting the best protection possible for your property.

 

Contact Us (905-870-7779) for a Free Consultation!

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About TAS Fire Protection

TAS Fire Protection offers comprehensive and cutting-edge fire protection and security services to commercial, industrial, and high-rise properties. Our team of highly skilled professionals has years of experience in installing, maintaining, and inspecting fire alarm systems, fire sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, security alarm systems, and more. We understand that fire safety and security is essential to the protection of lives and property.
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