October is Fire Prevention Month. There are many things that people can do to improve their safety.
PRESS RELEASE
October 1, 2013
October is Fire Prevention Month
October is Fire Prevention Month and the history of National Fire Prevention Week has its roots in the Great Chicago Fire, which occurred on October 9, 1871 and in two days destroyed half of the existing city and left 300 dead and 100,000 homeless.
There are many things that people can do to improve their safety at home, school, or work from a fire!
October 6-12, 2013 has been designated by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) as Fire Prevention Week. Santa Barbara County is joining forces with the NFPA to remind local residents to ‘Prevent Kitchen Fires.' During this year's fire safety campaign, the County of Santa Barbara will be spreading the word about the dangers of kitchen fires - most of which result from unattended cooking.
According to the latest NFPA research, cooking is the leading cause of home fires. Two of every five home fires begin in the kitchen - more than any other place in the home. Cooking fires are also the leading cause of home fire-related injuries.
Often when the fire department is called to a fire that started in the kitchen, the residents say that they only left the kitchen for a few minutes. Sadly, that's all it takes for a dangerous fire to start. Below are safety tips that the County of Santa Barbara and the local emergency managers would like to emphasize:
• Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling, or boiling food.
• If you must leave the room, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• When you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home, and use a timer to remind you.
• If you have young children, use the stove’s back burners whenever possible. Keep children and pets at least three (3) feet away from the stove.
• When you cook, wear clothing with tight-fitting sleeves.
• Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper and plastic bags, towels, and anything else that can burn, away from your stovetop.
• Clean up food and grease from burners and stovetops.
Lastly, as a reminder when a fire happens, there is no time for planning. So, sit down with your family now and make a step‐by-step plan for escaping from a fire in your home. Know where your fire extinguisher is mounted and make sure everyone in the family knows how to use it. If you do not have working Smoke Detectors in your home your chances of surviving a fire decrease.
News Media Contact:
Duty Officer, Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management
(805) 681-5526
[email protected]
Address/Location
ReadySBC Alerts
, CA
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-681-5526