By Tina Gorman
Director
Westfield Council On Aging
Last year, cooking was the leading cause of home fires as well as fire death and fire injury to seniors. There were 9,946 home fires in Massachusetts involving cooking with an estimated 10 million dollars in property damage. Worse, 25 percent of all fire injuries to older adults were from cooking fires. State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan encourages older adults to use caution while cooking. His statewide cooking safety campaign urges seniors to “stand by your pan” and “put a lid on it.”
Unattended cooking is the most frequent cause of fires in the home. Seniors should be careful not to leave food, grease, or oils cooking on a stovetop unattended. Wear short or tight fitting sleeves when cooking. Loose fitting clothing can easily catch fire. Keep pot handles turned inward to prevent accidental spills of hot contents. A three-foot “child-free zone” should be maintained around the stove. Grandchildren and pets should be kept away from the stove while cooking to prevent burns and scalds. Remember that stoves and ovens are for cooking and baking, not storage. Combustible objects such as potholders, towels, paper or plastic bags should be kept away from heating elements.
Covering a pan fire with a lid and turning off the heat source is the safest way to put out the fire. Throwing water or using a fire extinguisher on a grease fire will only spread the fire. In addition, the force of the extinguisher can splash flaming grease out of the pan. Baking soda will also help to put out a grease fire. Burning pans should be left on the stove and not moved. A person can be badly burned and the fire will spread if a burning pot or pan is moved. For fires inside an oven or microwave, the door should be kept closed, the appliance turned off, and the fire department called.
Metal objects should never be placed in a microwave. Utensils, aluminum foil, or twist-tie wraps can arc and cause a fire. Microwaved foods and liquids can become very hot. Therefore, caution should be exercised to avoid scalding. Appliances such as toasters and coffee makers should be unplugged when not in use.
The majority of victims injured in fires are hurt while attempting to fight the fire. Leave the firefighting to trained professionals. In the event of a fire, leave the building and call 9-1-1. All fires, regardless of size, should be reported to the Westfield Fire Department.
