Careful attention can prevent most cooking fires Published April 28, 2011 By Fire Prevention Office JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Inattentive or unattended cooking is the leading cause of reported residential fires and fire injuries in the United States. In the past weeks, the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson community has experienced an increase in kitchen fires. More importantly, the people involved didn't respond in the best ways. One individual removed a burning pan from the stove, and another attempted to extinguish the flames with water. Although these were small fires, they had the potential to cause major damage, injury or loss of life. More than 7,000 people are injured in kitchen fires each year. That's 7,000 reasons to be more attentive while cooking. Know what to do and what not to do in the kitchen. JBER is a busy place, and when we are off-duty we try to accomplish a lot of family activities in very little time. But when cooking, we must slow down and pay close attention. Like most residential fires, the recent kitchen fires were preventable. The primary cause of kitchen fires is unattended cooking or being distracted while cooking. Let's face it - it doesn't take long for a kitchen fire to start, and this is why cooking demands our full attention. We must be smart with our cooking habits and follow some simple rules. · When cooking, always keep lid or cookie sheet handy. If a small grease fire starts, smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid or cookie sheet over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don't remove the lid or cookie sheet once it's in place, and don't peek to see the fire is out. · Call 911 if there's a fire. · Never pour water on a grease fire, and avoid discharging a fire extinguisher directly onto a pan fire as it can spray or shoot burning grease around the kitchen. Never use flour to attempt to extinguish a fire; it could explode. Never attempt to carry a pan of burning food outside. For fires in an oven or broiler, keep the oven door shut and turn off the heat. For fires in a microwave, keep the door closed and unplug the oven. Be sure to have it serviced before you use it again. Keep combustible items off the range top and out of the oven. Grease is very flammable, so keep all cooking surfaces clean. Never cook with loose or dangling sleeves. If you must leave the kitchen, turn off the burners and take a spoon or potholder with you to remind you to return. Equipment fires are the leading cause of home structure fires and injuries. These fires accounted for 40 percent of all reported home structure fires and 36 percent of home civilian injuries. Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in these fires. Clothing was the item first ignited in less than one percent of these fires, but these incidents accounted 15 percent of the cooking fire deaths. Stove tops accounted for the largest share percent of cooking fire incidents. Ovens accounted for 16 percent. Three of every five (59 percent) of reported non-fatal home cooking fire injuries occurred when the victims tried to fight the fire themselves. Frying poses the greatest risk of fire. The Fire Prevention Office is here to serve you and provide life saving information. The information listed above are just a few fire prevention tips available through our office. For more information on kitchen fires or other fire prevention issues, please contact the FPO at 552-2620.