A smart fire safety plan

1. A Smart Fire Safety Plan
In the Kitchen
Treat your appliances right. Keep them clean and use them according to the
manufacturer’s instructions. If a toaster or a microwave doesn’t work properly, don’t
use it — get it fixed or replace it. Make sure you register your appliances as soon as
you buy them so that manufacturers can notify you about recalls of faulty products,
which are common flame starters. And report your own safety incidents or concerns
with appliances or other consumer products to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC) at safer products.gov.
Never leave while you’re cooking. Most kitchen fires start after someone’s left the
room, says the CPSC. “In less than a minute, a skillet holding cooking oil can go from
having inch-high flames to ones that lap across the ceiling,” explains Jack Sanderson,
a fire investigator at Fire Findings, in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Keep everything away from the stove. As Captain Picard led us around a kitchen
filled with hazards, he explained that there should be no loose items within 3 feet of
your stove. This includes pot holders, dish towels, and curtains.
Watch for problems. Appliances like coffeemakers and dishwashers can be dangerous
if there are internal water leaks. “That water can create an unintended pathway for the
electrical current and cause a fire,” explains Sanderson. I was surprised to learn that
soapy water (in dishwashers, for example) is far more electrically conductive than
ordinary tap water and poses a bigger problem if it leaks onto electrical components.
To spot leaks, look for stains (or water) around the appliance; the minerals in the
water tend to discolor the surrounding area.
Get a fire extinguisher. But don’t use it until you have to. Otherwise you may reduce
the pressure of the extinguisher, rendering it useless in an emergency. Study the
operating instructions so you’ll know what to do if the time comes. And then use it
only for small, contained fires. If you have a fire, get out of the house and stay out.