Residential Real EstatePreventing Kitchen Disasters
Fess up, folks. We"ve all done it at least once. You"ve placed a paper
napkin dangerously close to a bright-red coil on your stovetop, starting a
near-inferno in your own kitchen. You"ve tossed a bag of microwave popcorn
into the oven, hit "20.00" instead of "2.00," and walked away, only to
discover a flaming bag of Orville Redenbacher and a smoke-filled kitchen 15
minutes later, when it suddenly occurs to you that you never heard the
microwave beep ... around the same time that your nose detects the smell of
smoke. Or perhaps you"ve purchased range-top covers -- you know, those
decorative-yet-dangerous ceramic covers for your coils. Sure, they add a
nice touch to any kitchen. But they"re also a disaster waiting to happen.
It"s just a matter of time before you turn on the wrong coil, and minutes
later, you hear a popping noise and the smell of smoke. The ceramic cover
begins to turn dark brown and cracks. Your first impulse -- after shutting
off the coil, of course -- is to remove the ceramic cover ... with your
bare hands. Disaster number two.
The United States Fire Administration has reported that one-third of all
household fires in this country begin in the kitchen. The Association of
Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) and the National Association of State
Fire Marshals (NASFM) conducted a six-month study of more than 2,000
kitchen fires in 10 U.S. cities (including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago,
Cincinnati, New Orleans and Houston), and the results were telling.
Approximately eight out of every 10 cooking fires began on the stovetop.
That"s not a particularly surprising conclusion, given the nature of
stovetops. Unlike microwaves and conventional ovens, stovetops are
extremely hot surfaces that are left completely open to the elements. A
fire that begins in a microwave or conventional oven is at least contained,
albeit temporarily. That can buy time, an advantage you don"t have with a
stovetop.
The study also found that in nearly 75 percent of all cooking fires, the
person whose actions started the fire was not present in the kitchen at the
time the fire started. So it"s clear that in the majority of such cases,
people walk away from a hot surface, a costly mistake which significantly
increases the amount of fire damage. (Walking away from the kitchen also
leads to disasters with young children, who reach up and grab the end of a
pot on the stove, or touch a hot coil.)
According to the AHAM/NASFM survey, kitchen fires frequently resulted from
food, grease or combustible materials left on stovetops. In 64 percent of
the kitchen fires, homeowners left the scene upon discovery of the fire and
did not attempt to put the fire out themselves. Of those who attempted to
extinguish the fire themselves, 50 percent did so incorrectly and ended up
fueling the fire unintentionally and/or injuring themselves. And lest you
think that only the very young or very old usually start kitchen fires, the
survey indicated that 50 percent of all kitchen fires were started by
homeowners between the ages of 30 and 49. Three-quarters of the fires were
started by people between the ages of 19 and 49. Surprisingly, less than 5
percent of the more-than 2,000 fires analyzed in the study were started by
children under the age of 18.
In a press release issued by AHAM, the organization stated that homeowners
of "parenting age" were most likely to start cooking fires. That finding
illustrates the need for teaching children about proper fire-safety
procedures in the kitchen -- and for practicing what we preach. While it
might sound obvious, we all commit the mistake of walking away from the
kitchen while something"s on the stove. This is risky in itself, but
especially if young children are present. Parents can teach their older
children not only to stay in the kitchen while cooking, but also to turn
pot handles inward so that younger children (or even pets) won"t be able to
reach them. Keep all flammable materials away from the stove -- paper
towels, napkins, dishcloths, placemats, rubber spatulas, anything and
everything. Communicate to your younger children that playing in the
kitchen is against house rules. On your refrigerator or by your kitchen
telephone, post emergency phone numbers (911, neighbors, friends or local
family members), and teach your children how and when to use them.
Children aren"t the only ones capable of starting kitchen fires, of course.
Adults need to purchase a reliable timer for use any time cooking is in
progress. So if the phone or doorbell rings unexpectedly, you"ll be
reminded of what"s going on in the kitchen. When you use a pot on your
stovetop, take the lid out, too, and lay it next to your stove even if you
don"t plan to use it during cooking. If a fire does start, immediately drop
the lid on top of the pan, and turn off the heat. Then wait for the pan to
cool down. Perhaps most important, once you"re done with a pot or pan,
don"t lay it down on a hot coil -- even if you"ve turned it off and it"s in
the process of cooling down. Several stovetops currently on the market have
indicator lights that turn red and stay red as long as the surface is hot.
The light fades as the surface cools down. This is an excellent safety
feature to look for when you"re shopping for a new stovetop range.
Make sure you"ve installed a smoke detector in your kitchen (check the
batteries regularly), and keep a fire extinguisher under your sink and a
few boxes of baking soda handy in the event of a kitchen fire. If for any
reason, you don"t have a phone in your kitchen, get one. If it rings, you
can remain in the kitchen while you"re cooking and not become distracted
from your stove. If you have children, make kitchen safety a group effort.
Create signs that remind children of safe kitchen habits, and quiz them on
proper safety procedures. While home fires predominantly begin in the
kitchen, it"s ironic that in perhaps no other room in the house is fire
prevention so easy.
Also See:
Creating the Ideal Kitchen Layout
Are You Using Food Wrap In Your Home?
Virtually Cooking
Did You Buy The Right Smoke Alarm?