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Escambia County Fire Rescue invites residents to join in observing National Fire Prevention Week 2023 from Oct. 8-14. This year's theme focuses on cooking safety: "Cooking Safety Starts with YOU! Residents are encouraged to educate themselves about the simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe when cooking.
During Fire Prevention Week, residents are encouraged to follow these three simple steps to ensure cooking safety in the kitchen:
Between 2017 and 2021, cooking was the leading cause of reported home fires and home fire injuries and the second leading cause of home fire deaths, according to the National Fire Protection Agency. On average, cooking has caused 158,400 reported home fires in the U.S., resulting in an average of 470 civilian deaths and 4,150 civilian injuries annually. Unattended cooking was the leading factor contributing to these fires and casualties.
"Escambia County Fire Rescue continues to see residential fires that start in the kitchen," said Fire and Life Safety Specialist Ray Melton. "Often times this is due to unattended cooking and cooking equipment that develop electrical issues including, but not limited to, air fryers, deep fryers, stoves, and ovens that have not been properly cleaned or serviced. ECFR would like to remind citizens to remain in the kitchen while cooking and if you need to leave the kitchen, turn the appliance off! 85% of fire-related injuries are a result of citizens not knowing how to properly put the fire out. If you have a fire extinguisher, make sure it is the correct extinguisher for what it is that is burning and make sure you know how to properly use one."
Additionally, October signals the increase in outdoor recreational fires and candle use. Residents are encouraged to never leave recreational fires and never leave burning candles unattended. Make sure there is a three-foot safety zone around any heat source to protect children, pets and property.
When using outdoor Halloween decorations, make sure extension cords are not overloaded. Make sure all electrical items are UL-approved and designed for outdoor use. When using Halloween lights, ECFR recommends residents use LED lights with no more than three sets of lights connected to one receptacle.
To learn more about Fire Prevention Week 2023, visit NFPA.org.
Click for more information and statistics related to cooking fires.
Additional fire safety information for Spanish-speaking residents is attached below.
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