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Safety in the Kitchen...

Fire Marshal Jim Kenworthy warns cooking fires are a main cause of residential fires in Oregon. During 2005, Oregon had 317 cooking related fires, causing 35 injuries and more an estimated $1.7 million in property loss. 

“Keep a watchful eye on what you are cooking,” says Chief Kenworthy. “Klamath County Fire District No. 1 encourages you to not only know how to prevent them but how to safely extinguish them.” Kenworthy recommends following some simple guidelines:

• Keep a close eye on what you’re cooking – never leave cooking food unattended.

• Keep your cooking area clean, including the stovetop, oven and exhaust fan.

• Keep dishtowels and potholders away from the burners on the stove.

• Watch your sleeves – loose sleeves over hot stove burners can melt, ignite, or catch on the handles of pots and pans.

• Cooking oil can ignite quickly. Heat oil slowly and watch it closely.

• Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. Keep in an easy to reach location and know how to use it.

“If you have an oil or grease fire, never throw water on it and don’t attempt to carry a burning pan out of the house. Carefully slide a lid over the burning pan to cut the supply of oxygen to the fire and turn off the burner. If a fire breaks out in your oven, turn off the heat and keep the door closed. If a fire continues to grow, leave the home and call 9-1-1.” says Kenworthy.

For more information on fires in the kitchen read the following helpful documents provided by the Oregon Life Safety Team: A Coalition of Fire Service, Community and Insurance Professionals. These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

• The Cooking Fires Fact Sheet
• The Cooking Information Card
• Grease Fire Information
• Hot Water Information

Fire Extinguisher Training...

Klamath County Fire District No. 1 provides important Fire Extinguisher Training for scheduled groups such as schools and local companies -not usually just individuals. The training is designed to provide for the "greater safety" and take into account life safety practices: recognition of specific types of fire; the effects of proper and improper use of fire extinguishers.

Our training is often held indoors with an outdoor hands-on training activity. Your company needs to provide a classroom with a TV/VCR, enough fire extinguishers to complete the hands-on training and the specific key people you wish trained. Our Fire Prevention personnel will take it from there.

First we will cover the basics of fire protection with a video presentation, followed by a talk and discussion period. We will then demonstrate the types of fire extinguishers and proper handling methods required to deal with specific problems.

We also conduct outdoor fire demonstrations and training. Here we train:

• How To Attack A Fire
• PASS Technique (Pull,Aim,Squeeze,Sweep)
• Team Firefighting
• Effectiveness of Different Types of Extinguishers
• Realization of Discharge Times and Range
• Questions and Answers from the Students

Please Contact the Fire Prevention Division at (541) 885-2056 to schedule your training.

View the ABC's of Fire Extinguisher's Selection Use and Maintenance