Home Fire Safety: Prevent Kitchen Fires

There are more fires that start in the kitchen than in any other room of the house. Cooking in the home is also one of the leading causes of fire related deaths and causes the majority of kitchen fires. Nearly half of half of all house fires start in the kitchen and the majority of these kitchen fires start from cooking that is left unattended on the stove. Because of these risks it is essential that you can quickly, efficiently and safely extinguish a fire in your kitchen. At Aegis Safe Sydney we urge households to be mindful of fire dangers in the kitchen, make sure you have the right fire safety products handy and take a few simple steps to help protect your home and your family from a kitchen blaze. Our fire extinguisher testing cost is affordable for every scale of business.

PROTECT YOUR HOME WITH OUR HOME FIRE SAFETY KITS

KITCHEN FIRE SAFETY PRODUCTS

Fire Blanket: You could consider keeping a fire blanket in the kitchen. Fire blankets can be used to put out a fire or wrap around a person if there clothes catch on fire. The recommended size for this application is 1.8m x 1.2m.

Fire Extinguisher: You should choose one of the following type of fire extinguisher for your home kitchen:

• 1kg dry chemical fire extinguisher
• 1.5kg dry chemical fire extinguisher
• 2kg dry chemical fire extinguisher
• 2.5kg dry chemical fire extinguisher

If you use a deep fryer or have a considerable amount of cooking oils and fats it is worth considering a wet chemical fire extinguisher. A wet chemical fire extinguisher works best in the kitchen if you are using a deep fryer. We recommend either the 2 litre wet chemical fire extinguisher or the 7 litre wet chemical fire extinguisher for a large deep fryer or large amounts of cooking oil.

HOW TO COOK SAFELY

There are several things you can do to prevent fires in the kitchen. Make sure you don’t get distracted when you are cooking, and:

• take pans off the heat or turn the heat down if you’re called away from the cooker, eg by a phone call
• take care if you’re wearing loose clothing as it can catch fire easily
• don’t cook if you have been drinking alcohol or taken prescription drugs – you may get drowsy or lose concentration

Cooker and toaster safety

You can prevent fires when using a cooker or a toaster by following these simple tips:

• turn saucepans so the handles don’t stick out over the edge of the hob or over another ring
• double check that the cooker is off when you have finished cooking
• make sure tea-towels aren’t hanging over the cooker and don’t put oven gloves on top of a hot cooker
• keep the oven, hob and grill clean – built-up fat and bits of food can start a fire
• check that the toaster is clean and well away from curtains and empty the crumb tray regularly

Cooking with oil

You need to be especially careful when you are deep-fat frying or cooking with oil because hot oil can catch fire easily. Make sure you:

• don’t fill a chip pan or other deep-fat fryer more than one-third full of oil
• use a thermostat-controlled deep-fat fryer, which will make sure the fat doesn’t get too hot

Kitchen Fire Safety Video: Keep things away from heat

This video explains why you should keep things that can burn away from heat in the kitchen while you are cooking.

Kitchen Fire Safety Video: Be careful what you heat when cooking in the kitchen

This video explains why you should watch what you heat in the kitchen when cooking.

Kitchen Fire Safety Video: Keep kids away from cooking areas in your kitchen

This video explains why you should keep your children away from cooking areas in your kitchen.

Make sure you always stay in the kitchen when cooking:

• You should never leave your cooking unattended as fats and oils can quickly ignite.
• Always turn off your stove and I’ll then as soon as you finish cooking.
• Always unplug any electrical appliances when you’re not using them.
• You should keep children are safe distance away from cooking areas while in use.

Always stay alert:

• While cooking you should always be aware.
• You should not cook if you’re under the influence of alcohol or medication.

Your clothing should have shorts or close fitting sleeves:

• You should avoid wearing clothing that has loose sleeves as it can come in contact with burners and catch on fire
• You should avoid storing any items on or above your stove as your clothing can catch fire when you go to reach them

You should turn your pot handles in while cooking:

• You should turn your pot handles towards the back of the stove when cooking to prevent burns and stovetop fires
• You should use the rear burners of the stove whenever possible. What handles that stick out over the floor area can be grabbed by small child or easily bumped

You should clean all cooking surfaces:

• You should keep your appliance surfaces clean and free of grease and other skills that may catch on fire

You should keep any combustible items clear of the stove area:

• You should keep dish towels, plastic containers and curtains away from any hot surfaces.

Always safely operate your microwave:

• You should use dishcloths or oven mitts to remove any food from your microwave
• Carefully remove the lid of the item to avoid steam burns

Never overload electrical outlets:

• You should never plug too many kitchen appliances into your electrical PowerPoints
• You should regularly examine your electrical cords to make sure that they hurry good condition. Any better phrase damaged or cracked should be discarded

Having working smoke alarms installed in your home can save lives:

• You should make sure you have working smoke alarms installed in your home. There are specialised kitchen alarms available.
• You should conduct smoke alarms tests monthly and replace the batteries of your battery-operated smoke alarms every year

Portable fire extinguishers

Fully tested portable fire extinguishers can be effective in fighting small fires in the kitchen.

• Make sure the fire is never between you and your exit.
• You should always make sure you’re using the correct fire extinguisher.
• Make sure you know how and when to operate your fire extinguisher

The kitchen can be one of the most dangerous rooms of your house if you don’t practice safe cooking procedures. Cooking in the home and cooking equipment of the leading causes of home fires and home fire injuries in the US.

Stay alert in the kitchen

• Unattended cooking is a leading cause of fire in the kitchen
• You should always stay in the kitchen when you are cooking food. If you have to leave the kitchen even for a short period of time you should always turn off the stove.
• It is good practice to use a time while cooking to remind you when it is finished.

You must always stay alert. To prevent fires in the kitchen you have to be alert. You should avoid cooking while you have sleepy, or under the influence of alcohol or medicine.

If your clothes catch on fire

If your clothes catch on fire you should immediately stop, drop and roll. You should stop what you’re doing immediately and drop to the ground and cover your face with your hands. You should then roll over and over to put out the fire. Keep rolling until the fire is out and then immediately run cool water over the bad area for the 3 to 5 minutes. Depending on the severity of the burn to go see a doctor or call emergency services.

Choose the Right Equipment and Use It Properly

• Always use cooking equipment that has been approved by Australian Standards.
• You should always follow manufacturers’ instructions when installing and operating your cooking equipment.
• You should plug your microwave and other cooking appliances directly into the power point. Never use an extension cord for a cooking appliance as it can overload the circuit and cause a fire.
• We make it easy for you to buy the right fire extinguishers and other fire safety equipment.

Protect Children from Scalds and Burns

• Young children are a very high risk of being burned by hot food and liquids. You should keep children getting too close to cooking areas by creating a 1m “kid-free zone” around any hot food or cooking appliances.
• Keep young children at least 1m away from any place where hot food or drink is being prepared, carried or placed. Keep hot foods and liquids away from the edges of your tables and benches.
• Use the back burners of the stove top when there are young children present.
• Never hold a child while you are cooking, drinking, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
• Teach children that hot things can burn them.
• When children are old enough you can teach them how to cook safely. They must be supervised at all times.

Prevent Scalds and Burns

• To prevent spills due to overturn of appliances containing hot food or liquids, use the back burner when possible and/or turn pot handles away from the stove’s edge. All appliance cords need to be kept coiled and away from counter edges.
• Use oven mitts or potholders when moving hot food from ovens, microwave ovens, or stovetops. Never use wet oven mitts or potholders as they can cause scald burns.
• Replace old or worn oven mitts.
• Treat a burn right away, putting it in cool water. Cool the burn for 3 to 5 minutes. If the burn is bigger than your fist or if you have any questions about how to treat it, seek medical attention right away.

Install and Use Microwave Ovens Safely

• Place or install the microwave oven at a safe height, within easy reach of all users. The face of the person using the microwave oven should always be higher than the front of the microwave oven door. This is to prevent hot food or liquid from spilling onto a user’s face or body from above and to prevent the microwave oven itself from falling onto a user.
• Never use aluminum foil or metal objects in a microwave oven. They can cause a fire and damage the oven.
• Heat food only in containers or dishes that are safe for microwave use.
• Open heated food containers slowly away from the face to avoid steam burns. Hot steam escaping from the container or food can cause burns.
• Foods heat unevenly in microwave ovens. Stir and test before eating.

Avoid Kitchen Fires in your Home

Did you know that cooking fires are the most common causes of home fires and home fire injuries? Pans left unattended while hot on the stove are obvious culprits but there are a number of less obvious causes that may be news to you. Here are 10 tips to prevent kitchen fires and keep your family safe.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking fires are not only the leading cause of home structure fires, the majority of kitchen fire injuries occur when victims try to fight the fire themselves.

We can install, test, inspect and maintain all of your fire equipment and provide fire safety certificates and annual fire safety statements.

10 TIPS TO PREVENT KITCHEN FIRES

1. STAY IN THE KITCHEN

“The most common fires occur from people leaving food on the stove unattended. Don’t leave the kitchen while you have things cooking,” warns Borboa. If you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the stove and take your pots and pans off the heat. This is equally important if you are broiling food in the oven – take the food out of the oven and turn off the broiler.

2. WATCH YOUR CLOTHING

Long, flowing sleeves, large-fitting shirts and even aprons can catch fire. Borboa recommends that, when cooking, wear short or close-fitted sleeves and keep your baggy shirts tucked in or tied back with a well-fitted apron.

3. BE AWARE OF THE ITEMS AROUND THE STOVETOP

Kitchen towels, oven mitts, appliance cords and even curtains can easily catch fire if set near a hot burner. Always move flammable items away from your stovetop. “And be careful when using towels to move a pot off the burner. Ideally, use an oven mitt, but if using a towel, be sure it doesn’t dangle down and touch the burner,” adds Borboa.

4. KEEP A FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN OR NEAR THE KITCHEN

In the case you do have a fire, a fire extinguisher can make the difference between an easy to clean up burned pan and a kitchen engulfed in flames. Be sure you actually know how to use it, too.

5. CHANGE THE BATTERIES IN YOUR SMOKE DETECTOR

Chances are you have a smoke detector in the kitchen or in the room adjacent to the kitchen. Borboa says its not enough to have a smoke detector – you need to make sure the smoke detector is operable. He recommends changing your smoke detector batteries every six months.

6. NEVER THROW HOT GREASE IN THE GARBAGE CAN

“First of all, know the smoke points of your oils and never subject an oil with a low smoke point to high heat cooking – it can catch fire,” says Borboa. “Second, never throw hot grease in the garbage can. Even if the grease isn’t on fire, it can cause something in the garbage to burn.” Instead, let grease cool and dispose of it in an old coffee can

Note: A smoke point is the temperature at which an oil starts to break down. In addition to being a potential fire hazard, it can be damaging to your health. Fats that have gone past their smoke points are believed to contain large amounts of free radicals, which contribute to cancer. Refer to this smoke point chart for the optimal temperatures for your cooking oils.

7. EXTINGUISH CANDLES

Keep your candlelit dinners romantic by keeping the heat only between you and your mate. Candles are another common cause of house fires. In addition to using wider, shorter candles, which are less likely to tip over, be sure to extinguish candle flames as soon as you are done in the kitchen.

8. BE PREPARED TO PUT OUT A FIRE

Though you don’t want a fire to occur, be prepared in the case it does. Borboa says, “The best thing to do if you have a stovetop fire is to put a proper fitting lid over the pan or pot to smother it. Never use water and never pick a burning pan up and put it in the sink – you not only risk spreading the fire to the sink, you risk getting badly burned if the burning ingredients slosh out.” Another recommendation from Borboa: “Don’t use flour to put out a fire – it can burn, too – and it makes a mess.”

9. HAVE A FIRE ESCAPE PLAN

Keep the fire department telephone number written and/or programmed on your telephone. Sit down with your family and have a fire escape plan that includes getting out of the house and meeting outside in a designated area. It’s important that your family – especially your kids – know what to do before a fire occurs. Practice your plan every month.

10. STOP, DROP, ROLL

“In the event you do catch fire, follow the Stop, Drop, Roll Principal. Don’t run if your clothing catches fire – stop where you are, drop to the ground, and roll,” concludes Borboa. Then get to a hospital to get treatment for your burns.

Don’t ever hesitate to call your local fire department – even if you have successfully put out your fire. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Practice fire prevention measures every time you are in the kitchen, and be sure to pass the measures on to your kids

Fire Protection Services for Kitchens

A kitchen fire can be a dangerous and frightening experience. Although a fire may begin on a small appliance or in narrow ductwork, it can quickly spread throughout an entire kitchen. 

Intense cooking heat, flammable oils, and built-up grease lining inaccessible ducts, all pose potential fire hazards to your restaurant and business. These days, higher temperature cooking oils and high-efficiency slow-cooling appliances have also combined to make fire suppression more challenging than ever before.

The biggest fire hazard in a restaurant is its kitchen. Whether a restaurant, hotel, club, fast-food outlet, school or hospital – all present the potential to be at risk of an unexpected kitchen fire.

Depending on your kitchen design and requirements, Aegis Safe can install a system that offers you the ultimate in kitchen fire protection.

More fires start in the kitchen than anywhere else in the home – but that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of your stove or eat out all the time. There’s a lot you can do to help fireproof your kitchen and reduce the chances of a fire starting from cooking.

Both gas and electric stoves can cause fires, as can toasters, toaster ovens, and any electrical appliance that can overheat. Be sure to follow the instructions when using your appliances.

Here are some quick tips to help keep your kitchen a safe place.

• Don’t store things on top of, in, or around your oven.
  Keep flammable things like dishtowels, paper bags, or cereal boxes, away from your stove. Don’t use your oven as ‘extra storage’ for flammable things like paper or plastic bags, plastic containers, or dishtowels. Even if you don’t turn the oven on, the pilot light can ignite objects inside.
• Turn pot handles toward the center of the stove when cooking on the stove top.
  Pots and handles should never hang over the edge of the stove where someone could bump into them. This is one of the major causes of serious burns in children and elderly people.
• Don’t leave cooking unattended.
  It only takes a minute for a fire to get out of hand. Don’t leave things cooking on the stove top unattended and check regularly on the things cooking in the oven.
• Use caution when cooking and handling hot objects.
  Use potholders (as opposed to rags, that may catch fire) when moving any hot object. This includes objects coming out of the microwave – even ‘microwave-safe’ dishes can get extremely hot.
• Avoid wearing clothes with long, loose-fitting sleeves that may catch fire easily.
  If your clothing catches fire, STOP, DROP AND ROLL!
• If a pot catches fire, turn off the burner and cover the pot with a lid.
• Keep cooking appliances free of food crumbs and scraps.
  Clean your stove top, oven and toaster regularly to prevent leftover pieces of food from catching on fire. But remember, use caution when cleaning your appliances — unplug any electrical appliances and follow the cleaning instructions closely to avoid electrocution.
• Keep electrical appliances away from water and fire.
  Try to plug in your appliances and keep electrical cords as far away as possible from water hazards, like the sink, or fire hazards, like the stove top.
• Don’t try to put out grease or electrical fires with water – this will only make them worse!
  Adding water to a grease fire can make it spread. Adding water to an electrical fire can cause electrocution. One of the simplest and cheapest extinguishers of a grease fire is baking soda. Keep a box next to your stove to throw on stove top fires.
• Use your stove only as directed.
  If you have a gas stove and smell gas (beyond a burnt-out pilot light), turn off all burners, open windows for better ventilation and call your gas company. Be cautious when relighting pilot lights: make sure the room is well ventilated and use long-stemmed matches or lighters. Never use your stove (electric or gas) to heat the room.

The fire services recommend this simple safety checklist:

• Keep children away from hotplates and ovens whilst cooking and consider installing a stove guard.
• Heat cooking oil carefully and slowly in the right size saucepan to avoid fat splatters.
• Turn pot and pan handles inwards so they won’t be knocked over.
• Clean your stove grill after each use and clean the range hood filter and all kitchen appliances regularly.
• Install a fire extinguisher and fire blanket in the kitchen and know how to use them. They should be situated at least 1 metre away from the
• stove and between the stove and the nearest fire door exit.
• Install non-slip matting around the stove and sink area. If cooking oil catches fire, turn off the hotplate and slide the lid over the pan or use the fire blanket to smother the fire.
• If a kitchen fire occurs and you don’t feel confident you can put it out, switch off the appliance, leave the premises and call the fire service on
• Triple Zero (000) from a safe place.
• Ensure that all cooking appliances are turned off after use.
• Don’t leave your cooking unattended. If you must leave the kitchen whilst cooking, turn off the hotplate.
• Don’t wear clothes with loose fitting sleeves.
• Don’t keep your tea towels, oven mitts and other flammable items near the stove or cook-top.
• Don’t use water to put out fat and oil fires. Water can cause the fire to spread rapidly and cause horrific burns.
• Don’t carry pans of hot or burning oil through the house as this may spread the fire and cause serious injury.
• Having a fire hydrant parts in the building or home is also a good idea

Video Transcriptions:

Kitchen Fire Safety Video: Keep things away from heat

Setting: The “typical” fire station kitchen. Firefighter/narrator is wearing the classic station uniform (logoed dark blue tee or collared shirt; slacks). O/C: Guess its my turn to clean up. 2. The scene opens on narrator as he is vigorously scrubbing the stove top (maybe wearing Playtex gloves). Stops scrubbing; pulls off gloves. O/C: And I’ll be scrubbing extra hard because I want to make sure I get all of the spilled food off the stove. That’s because a hot burner can easily ignite grease and food that has splashed out of a pan. 3. Opens oven door, shakes head with disgust. O/C: Spilled food inside the oven or microwave is bad too. 4. Closes door and pulls a hand towel off of the oven door rack. O/C: It looks like this one is over-due for a clean-up. 5. Sticks the hand towel in a holder, or through the fridge door handles. O/C: But it isn’t just splattered grease and spilled food that can start a fire. It’s pretty much anything that can burn – ike this hand towel, for example. 6. Starts to pick up other things that have been left around – wooden spatula/spoon, hot pads, newspaper, Firehouse Magazine. Puts things several feet away from stove top. O/C: Every time I get ready to cook, I start the recipe with a clean sweep of the stove area. I move anything that could burn off the stove top and a good distance away from it. 7. (switch to video of home kitchen) 8. Adult is moving paper towel dispenser that was too close to the range top AND/OR removing a paper towel holder and moving it 3 feet away. V/O: Don’t forget to look around the stove too. If paper towels, curtains, or anything else that can burn is too close, it???s a good idea to move it. 9. Adult character collects a bunch of spice cans off the back of the stove and puts them in the cupboard. Looks around for more clutter to move away. V/O: Spices too close to the burners, oil, or other items near the stove should be moved. 10. (Switch to fire station) 11. C/U of pizza box in narrator’s hand; dumps it in the trash O/C: These things may seem harmless, but all of them can catch fire. 12. Narrator pulls can of oven cleaner out of the cabinet, sets on the counter with gloves and towels. O/C: And now it’s time to clean. I don’t want to hear about it from the rest of the squad.

Kitchen Fire Safety Video: Be careful what you heat when cooking in the kitchen

1. Setting: A “typical” fire station kitchen; clean but clearly well used, some clutter. Fire service atmosphere visible in the shot (such as 9/11 poster, athletic trophies, photos, etc.). Narrator is a firefighter; wearing classic station uniform (logoed dark blue tee or collared shirt; slacks). O/C: Uh-um. Just like Grandpa used to make. 2. (Fire station setting) Open on narrator (a firefighter) as he is preparing a meal on the range with one pot and one fry pan (preferably a gas stove) ??? a large, dial-face timer is on the counter; the fry pan lid is nearby on counter. (Wears a large oven mitt on the hand holding the pot handle.) Adds a dash of dried chili peppers to the pot with great flourish; stirs and tastes the chili with obvious pleasure. O/C: Oops ??? you caught me! I???m afraid I can???t share my family recipe for Five Alarm Chili, but I can tell you how to cook it safely. 3. Puts spoon on a plate and removes oven mitt, placing it well away from the burners. Turns attention to camera. O/C: And safety is important, because cooking is serious business! 4. Gestures to stove top (C/U of low setting on burner under the chili; tight shot of heating fry pan). O/C: Did you know that one of the most common causes of home fires is getting distracted, or falling asleep with something cooking on the stove? 5. With oven mitt, firefighter uses long tongs to turn over the frying food. (C/U on med-low setting on burner.) O/C: When I???m simmering something at home, I???ll use a timer if I want to watch TV for a few minutes. But I???m heating oil in this pan. And when you cook with oil and grease, you can???t be too careful. So I???m staying close by the stove. 6. (Switch to home kitchen setting) 7. Male character cooking French Fries in a pan with oil. Keeps craning neck, trying to see the TV in the other room. Hears sound of cheering from TV and turns, starting to walk into the other room. 8. Character changes mind; quickly comes back to the stove. Cooking with grease and oil is especially dangerous. You really need to keep an eye on it. If you walk away, a small problem can grow into a big problem; fast. 9. Character attends to pan, which is clearly hot. Character turns off the burner. (C/U on the ???off??? position of burner.) Like, the oil gets too hot, or starts bubbling and splattering. 10. (Switch back to fire station setting) 11. Narrator at stove O/C: If something like that happens and you???re not there to turn down the heat, you???re likely to have a pan fire. 12. Narrator holds timer, turns dial to demonstrate. 13. (Switch to home kitchen setting) 14. Character clicks off TV and walks back into kitchen. Turns burner heat on medium low. Puts on over mitt, getting ready to cook. V/O: When you???re cooking with oil or grease, stay at the stove. 15. (Switch back to Narrator) 16. Narrator scoops big bowl of chili. O/C: Unlike my chili recipe, there???s no big secret to cooking safely ??? just watch what you heat!

Kitchen Fire Safety Video: Keep kids away from cooking areas in your kitchen

1. Setting: The “typical” fire station. Open on firefighter/narrator, in casual station uniform, putting away fire safety education materials, props, etc. Narrator walks into kitchen and sits at the table, looks at camera. O/C: Wow! We had a big group of preschoolers visiting the station today. They were really great kids, and I think they learned a lot about fire safety. I’ve got a couple of kids myself. And, I do worry about them. 2. Narrator takes wallet out and pulls out a couple of small photos. Gestures to the kitchen O/C: That’s because very young children have a higher risk of getting burned and not just by fire. The kitchen is an especially dangerous area. 3. (switch to home kitchen setting 4. Two parents and young child are in the kitchen; routine activity. V/O: From the time my kids were little, I taught them to stay well away from the stove. 5. Mom or Dad gets on the floor with a yard stick or tape measure. V/O: Kids can suffer terrible burns by reaching up and touching a burner or pulling a hot pot down onto themselves. 6. Parents help child place stickers on the floor at the far ends to mark the zone. C/U on yard stick to show it the sticker is 3 feet from stove V/O: A smart way to prevent that kind of tragedy is to measure a kid-free-zone all around the stove and cook top. We let our kids mark the borders with bright tape until they learned the distance by heart. Make the zone at least three feet so the cook has plenty of space, and the kids are out of danger from spills. 7. The child walks over to the newly marked zone {with dog if possible} and starts to step into the zone. Parent gently but firmly indicates the child may not enter it. Takes child over to the table {dog follows}. V/O: It’s not easy raising children. Having a kid-free zone gives parents one less thing to worry about. 8. C/U on kid at the table coloring or playing with a toy; Mom or Dad carries dish over to the table. Places well away from seated child. Other parent is seated at the table, supervising the child. V/O: Of course, we still need to keep a close eye on them! 9. (Switch to fire station setting) 10. Narrator puts the photos back in his wallet just as the dispatcher announces a fire call. Jumps up and heads out of the kitchen. O/C: That’s my cue! I Gotta run!

Kitchen Fire Safety Video: How to prevent burns and scalds

1. Setting: The “typical” fire station kitchen. Firefighter/narrator is wearing NFPA 1975 Station/Work Uniform compliant the classic station uniform, but with long sleeves. The scene opens on narrator as he puts on a chef’s-style apron. O/C: I love to cook! Don’t you? 2. Narrator is organizing the food he is going to be cooking with (large package of hamburger, onions, garlic, bottle of olive oil, cans of tomato sauce, pasta, etc.) O/C: I have a great meal planned for the squad tonight, and I sure don’t want to ruin it by ending up with a burn. In my job, I see burn injuries every day. And some of them cause a lifetime of pain and scarring. 3. Narrator starts rolling up his sleeves. (C/U on sleeve up over elbow) O/C: The good news is that burn injuries are easily prevented. I keep oven mitts and potholders ready to protect against burns. I always wear short sleeves or roll up my sleeves to keep my shirt away from the hot burner. 4. Demonstrates on cool stove top how a sleeve could slide near/over a gas burner. O/C: This stove isn’t on yet. But you can see how a long, loose sleeve could catch fire. 5. Opens drawer and takes out oven mitts, puts on. 6. Walks over to the microwave. Removes something from the microwave. O/C: And I’m especially careful with steam. It’s ready! Look at this popcorn. You can see that a lot of steam has built up. 7. Opens the cover away from himself. (C/U on steam rising out.) Pops some popcorn into his mouth. O/C: Always uncover heated food so the steam goes away from you. 8. (switch to family in home kitchen setting) 9. Grandparent moves coffee pot to back of counter; moves cups from edge and dumps steaming coffee in sink. V/O: Hot liquids can scald a child in only seconds, so families with young children need to take a few extra steps. 10. Picks up child. V/O: It’s just too dangerous to hold a child and try to drink a cup of coffee at the same time. 11. (Grandparent is wearing short sleeves, or rolled up sleeves) Grandparent takes something out of the microwave (wears mitts); opens with the lid facing away; stirs, then spoons it into a child’s bowl. Takes a small taste. Grandparent sets the food in front of child and returns to stove. V/O: Always check hot food before you give it to the kids, because you can???t count on them to check it for themselves. 12. Grandparent turns on cold water tap and places a finger under the running water. Grandparent glances at clock on the wall. V/O: If you are burned, put a minor burn under cool water, not cold, for 3-5 minutes. Get medical treatment right away for a serious burn. 13. (Switch to fire station kitchen setting) 14. Narrator is at stove, cooking. O/C: See? It’s easy to prevent burns!