‘Tis the season for lots of home cooking. Add house guests and holiday excitement to the mix and things can go from controlled to chaotic pretty quickly. Since most home fires start in the kitchen, here are our top tips from ADT for keeping your holiday gatherings safe and sound: 1. Detect and help protect: Check all smoke alarms to make sure they’re fully functional. Ensure your fire extinguishers are within reach and in working order—and if you don’t have one, now’s the time to get one!
(Pam comments - Call me if you are missing a fire extinguisher, and check the batteries on your smoke detectors!)
2. De-clutter your workspace: A tidy kitchen is a safe kitchen. Clear away loose cloths, paper towels, and anything you’re not actively using. Be sure to fasten loose sleeves, apron strings or long hair, as well.
3. Keep an eye on the matter: Any cook knows that a few seconds can mean the difference between toasted and torched. Recruit help in the kitchen, even if it’s just to keep an eye on things while you take a break.
4. (Pam's addition:) Never leave fire unattended: Don't burn candles, a fireplace, or any kind of heat source when you are not present. Fire can engulf a room within a few seconds! Try the battery-operated candles, which look almost real and pose no threat to safety.
5. (Pam's addition:) Keep the Baking Soda handy: I keep a big, open box of baking soda in the cabinet off to the side of my stove. In the event of a kitchen fire, you don't want to throw water on it. Throw the baking soda instead. It will smother the flames and can prevent a major catastrophe. Keep the box off to the side, at-hand, but away from the stove itself. In a fire, you can't reach through the flames to get to the soda.