For Immediate Release

Friday, June 10, 2016

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

GEORGETOWN – Chief Fred Mitchell and the Georgetown Fire Department are encouraging residents to follow cooking safety tips in order to prevent kitchen fires.

From January to May 2016, the Georgetown Fire Department responded to 20 incidents involving cooking fires.

“Unfortunately, cooking fires are extremely common and pose a serious danger to residents,” Chief Mitchell said. “With caution and regard for personal safety, though, many of these fires can be prevented.”

There were 10,630 home fires involving cooking in Massachusetts in 2014. According to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, cooking fires account for 47 percent of all reported fires in homes and unattended cooking is the most frequent cause of these kitchen fires.

The Georgetown Fire Department offers residents cooking safety tips outlined by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services:

• Stand by your pan when cooking. Do not leave food, grease, or oils cooking on the stove unattended.
• Keep pot handles turned inward to prevent accidental spills of hot contents.
• Keep combustible objects such as pot holders, towels, paper, or plastic bags away from heating elements.
• Create a three-foot “child-free zone” around the stove. Keep children and pets away from the stove while cooking to prevent burns and scalds.
• If your clothing catches fire, stop, drop, and roll to put out flames. Put burns in cool running water. Call 911 for help.
• Put a lid on a grease fire to smother it, then turn off the heat. Baking soda will also work.
• Never move a burning pan. You could be badly burned or spread the fire.
• For fires inside an oven or microwave, keep the door closed, turn off the appliance, and call the fire department.
• In the event of a fire, leave the building immediately and call 911. All fires and burns, regardless of size, should be reported to the fire department.

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