It's Fire Prevention Week: Iowa City Fire Department Offers Tips For Preventing Kitchen Fires

National Fire Prevention Week is being observed from Oct. 6-12, and the Iowa City Fire Department is joining forces with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) on a fire safety campaign that helps spread the word about the dangers of kitchen fires and how to prevent them. According to the latest NFPA research, two of every five home fires begin in the kitchen -- more than any other place in the home. Unattended cooking is the leading cause for these fires and for fire-related injuries. The goal of the 2013 campaign is to help educate residents on how to prevent these types of fires in the first place.

"Often when we're called to a fire that started in the kitchen, the residents tell us that they only left the kitchen for a few minutes," said Fire Marshal Brian Greer. "Sadly, that's all it takes for a dangerous fire to start. We hope that Fire Prevention Week will help us reach folks in the community before they've suffered damage to their home or an injury to themselves."

The Iowa City Fire Department is also reaching out to youth in Iowa City schools by providing an educational and entertaining program for elementary school students from kindergarten through fourth grade. The program, which will be offered at 12 local public and private elementary schools, delivers the "Prevent Kitchen Fires" message through people, puppets, and life-sized Puppetoons. The program also reinforces other fire safety messages such as, "Stop, Drop, and Roll," "Get Out and Stay Out" and "Call 911." 

Some of the safety tips that firefighters and safety advocates will be emphasizing include: 

• 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 safe by having a "kid-free zone" of at least three feet around the stove and other areas where hot food or drinks are prepared or carried. 
• 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. 

Fire Prevention Week is actively supported by fire departments across the country and is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. It is also a great time to review plans for exiting your home or business in case of a fire, and checking your fire extinguisher to make sure it's in proper working order.

Additional information on fire prevention is available at the National Fire Protection Association's website at www.nfpa.org. For more information, contact City of Iowa City Fire Marshal Brian Greer at brian-greer@iowa-city.org or 319-356-5255.