Cooking is the leading cause of house fires worldwide, resulting in devastating consequences for both life and property.
So that your loved ones and valuable property remain safe, here are some important tips for kitchen fire safety:
- Never leave cooking unattended.
- Install a smoke alarm and test it regularly. It is not recommended to install a smoke detector in the kitchen; however, make sure there is one nearby.
- Keep children away from cooktops and ovens during cooking.
- Heat cooking oil slowly and carefully to avoid overheating or splashing oil.
- If cooking oil catches fire, turn off the hotplate and use a lid or fire blanket to smother the fire. Be extremely careful! Cooking oil fires are extremely hot and dangerous. If you don’t feel confident, switch off the power, leave the premises and dial 000.
- Never use water to try and extinguish a cooking fire.
- Ensure saucepans and pot handles are turned inwards to prevent accidental knocks and be out of reach of children.
- Keep your hotplates and workspace clean along with the rangehood and other kitchen appliances.
- Install a fire extinguisher and fire blanket in the kitchen and make sure you know how to use them. They need to be installed at least a metre away from the cooking area, ideally towards the nearest exit.
- Ensure all cooking appliances are turned off after use.
Introducing Stove Guard by InnoHome
An additional way to ensure the safety of your kitchen (and home) is to install a Stove Guard device by InnoHome.
This smart solution consists of an intelligent heat sensor, which mounts under your rangehood and connects wirelessly to the controller. If the sensor detects a dangerous level of heat on the cooktop, it immediately cuts the power to the cooktop. This action prevents a fire before it starts.
Stove Guard is recommended for homes, independent living units, aged care facilities, student accommodation and holiday rentals among others.
