Make Cooking Safety a Lesson for Life

Make cooking safety a lesson for life

Cook safely and make sure you have working smoke alarms is the message to students across Cheshire as they get ready to start university this month.
As many young people get ready to leave home for the first time and move into rented accommodation, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is using its 'Dirty Grills Kill' campaign to highlight cooking dangers.

Head of Prevention Nick Evans said: "We want students to remember their university adventure for the right reasons and not due to a disaster in the kitchen. Over half of all accidental fires in the home start in the kitchen and with many young people leaving home for the first time, some even cooking for the first time, we want to make sure they are aware of the dangers and cook safely.

"Fires are often caused by cookers or grills being left unattended as it is so easy for people to get distracted. Part of the university life involves socialising with friends but please follow our advice and don't start cooking if you've been drinking alcohol – get a takeaway. Keeping grills clean is also very important as a build up of fat and oil can easily ignite and cause a devastating fire."

Having a working smoke alarm on every level of your home could also save your life so make sure your landlord shows you they are working when you move in. From October new laws are expected to come into force subject to parliamentary approval which will require landlords to fit smoke alarms on every floor of rented properties, as well as carbon monoxide alarms in properties which burn solid fuels.
Landlords must check the alarms are working at the start of every new tenancy with potential penalties of up to £5,000 if they don't comply.

Nick Evans continued: "Smoke alarms save lives, it is as simple as that and all students should check that wherever they move into has working alarms which can provide vital extra time to escape if a fire breaks out. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service have a limited number of free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to give out to relevant landlords ahead of the new regulations coming into force next month so I would encourage them to contact us if they want to take advantage of this limited opportunity."
More information can be found on our website www.cheshirefire.gov.uk

Student fire safety tips:

• Keep the cooker clean and in good working order. Most fires in student properties are linked to cooking.
• Tins and foil cause fires in microwaves- so leave them out.
• Don't cook if you've been drinking alcohol. If you've been out on the town- get a take-away instead of cooking when you get home.
• Take extra care when frying with oil as this is an extremely common cause of fire. If one does occur NEVER put water on it as it will turn into a fireball.
• Practice an escape route with your housemates, so that you know how to get out of the property if there's a fire.
• Take extra care with cigarettes and smoking materials. If you smoke, make sure you've extinguished your cigarette properly before you go to sleep. And never smoke in bed.
• Smoke alarms are potential life savers. Ask your landlord to fit smoke alarms on each level of the house. Test them weekly.
• Don't overload plug sockets and switch off electrical appliances, like mobile chargers and hair straighteners, when not in use.
• Keep candles away from flammable surfaces or textiles such as curtains, TV sets or bath tubs and never leave them unattended. Always remember to extinguish them properly before going to sleep.

REMEMBER: If a fire starts get out, stay out and dial 999

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