Holiday Cooking Tips for Child Safety

As we near the holidays, here's a reminder from the members and officers of the Stamford Volunteer Fire Department.

Remember children are naturally curious and will  climb on an open dishwasher or oven doors. Dishwashers should be firmly screwed to the countertop or the side of the cabinets to prevent tipping. Most new ovens come from the manufacturer with an anti-tip device that is initially screwed into the floor and when the stove is slid into place it prevents the unit from tipping.

Every year we hear about children reaching up and grabbing pot handles spilling scalding water or hot grease upon themselves. Try to turn handles so they are not easily grabbed by small children standing in front of the stove. In fact it is far safer to cook on the rear burners to avoid pots being to0 close to the front of the unit.

Don't carry small children while you are cooking or carrying hot food.

Watch kids and pets near appliance cords like coffee pots and crock pots.

Do not disable smoke alarms that go off whenever you cook smokey items. Consider mounting them further away from the kitchen, but do not disable the device. It cannot save you if it has no battery.

Fresh 9 volt batteries rarely cost more than a few dollars but kitchen fires often exceed hundreds of dollars in damage.

Is that fire extinguisher in an easy to find obvious location,or will it take too long to find it when you need it.  Is the unit older than 12 years old?  Time to replace it if it is.

Make sure the surface behind your stove is fire resistent... that is- tile or stainless steel. Keep it free of grease.

If you have a stove hood... use it whenever you are cooking, especially when frying or boiling.   Keep the filters clean and make sure it is vented to the exterior.

And finally when cooking think about your clothing. Apron straps and loose fitting clothing may catch fire if you are too close to heating elements or a gas flame. 

Let's all think about preventing accidents and reducing the chance of your family being hurt this year. 

The Members and Officers of the Stamford Volunteer Fire Department (a joint venture of the Belltown, Springdale, Long Ridge and Turn of River Fire Depts.) wish you and yours a safe and wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Neighbors helping Neighbors