Fire staff visiting residents with cooking safety tips during Fire Prevention Week

Prince Edward County Fire and Rescue staff are going door-to-door this week from 6-8 p.m. to promote safety as part of Fire Prevention Week Oct. 8-15

The uniformed staff will speak to this year’s campaign – Cooking safety starts with YOU – which focuses on simple but important actions to take when cooking, to avoid adding to the tragic statistic that “cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home-fire injuries in Canada.”

Mike Branscombe, Fire Prevention Officer PEC

“A cooking fire can grow quickly. I have seen many homes damaged and people injured by fires that could easily have been prevented,” said Mike Branscombe, Fire Prevention Officer with Prince Edward County Fire & Rescue.

Branscombe recommends people follow key safety tips to reduce the risk of a cooking fire:
– Watch what you heat. Always keep a close eye on what you are cooking. Set a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
– 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 and turn off the burner.
– Have a “kid- and pet-free zone” of at least one metre around the stove, grill or other areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.

“Year after year, cooking remains the leading cause of home fires by far. This tell us that there is still much work to do when it comes to educating the public about ways to stay safe when cooking,” says Lorraine Carli, vice-president of Outreach and Advocacy at the National Fire Protection Association.

To find out more about fire prevention programs in the County, call 613.476.2345. For general information about fire prevention and cooking safety. visit https://www.nfpa.org/fpw For fire safety fun for children, visit sparky.org