0800 555 815

Give food a thought... being careless in the kitchen can cost lives. 

60 per cent of house fires start in the kitchen - help us to keep you and your family safe by watching our campaign videos and reading our essential guide below.

Don't get distracted whilst cooking - watch the video to see how easy it is...

Cookers and microwaves

• Keep electrical leads, tea towels and cloths away from your cooker
• Keep your oven, hob and grill clean. A build up of fat and grease can easily catch fire
• Don't put anything metallic, such as cutlery or tin cans inside the microwave
• Never put a sponge or dishcloth in the microwave to sterilise it - it could catch fire
• Take care if you are wearing loose clothing - this can easily catch fire

Electrics

• Keep electrical leads and appliances away from water
• Check the toaster is clean and away from curtains and kitchen rolls
• Turn off electrical appliances when they are not being used and service them regularly
• Don't overload sockets - only use one plug in each socket
• If you have to use more than one plug per socket, use a fused adaptor and keep the total output to no more than 13 amps
   

Frying food/chip pans

• Remember any type of pan can catch fire - this includes a wok, a grill or a frying pan
• When deep frying, always dry the food before you put it in the oil
• Never fill a pan more than one-third full of oil. If the oil starts to smoke, it's too hot - turn off the heat and leave it to cool down
• Swap your chip pan for an electric deep fat fryer - electrically deep fat fryers that plug into the wall are much safer to use 

Watch the video and see how dangerous a chip pan fire can be...

If your pan catches fire:

• Don't panic and don't take risks
• Don't move the pan
• Never throw water or use a fire extinguisher on a hot fat fire
• If it's safe to do so - turn off the heat, but never lean over the pan to reach the controls
• Leave the kitchen, close the door behind you, tell everyone else in the home to get out and don't go back inside for any reason
• Call 999

Finally…Remember a working smoke alarm will give you those precious seconds to escape.

To book a free Home Fire Risk Assessment call 0800 555 815 or click here to complete an online form

Last update: 12/10/2011 09:02:52