Have You Discussed Fire Protection With Your Family?
Mum and a dad have a heap of responsibilites when bringing up a family and the job just seems to be endless. In the world that we live in today there are so many electrical appliances and synthetic products that are so dangerously flammable that fire protection is a must to be discussed with the children.
One of the most common fires in the family is the fire in the kitchen. A fire at the stove is a common complaint. In fact many do not even get recorded. Small oil spills, bench top open grillers and the like are always causing little fires, but left unattended, they could be so bad as to turn a familys life right upside down.
All households should have a fire extinguisher near the kitchen and the children should know the basics of how to use it. Often you hear on the news that a child has saved someone by phoning emergency servces, or some other life saving deed? Children do understand safety issues if they are taught properly and they need to know basic fire protection rules.
There are fires from faulty wiring at stoves, but the most common is during cooking, or pots left on the stove with the element turned on.
Dont trust those bench top grillers either. It is not so much the griller itself, but they are commonly used for cheese grills, and the fat from the cheese drips down onto the bottom element and before you know it you have a fire.
Water must never be used to put out a fire near electrical wiring!
So what should you use on a stove fire? Use a fire blanket which will reduce the oxygen level, a CO2 fire extinguisher, and for a very small contained fire in the element tray you could throw on a handful of salt. Salt is excellent, and used in kitchens all around the world, but only if the fire is small.
Oil is the one kitchen product that causes so many problems. It gets very hot, is flamable on a hot element, and it spits if water or frozen food is put in it. So many people have suffered severe burns from dropping frozen food into hot oil.
If you are going to allow your children to cook with fat, make sure they are old enough to understand how to use it properly. An oil burn is dreadful. It is so painful because the oil gets so hot that it burns deep. They also need to understand all your rules for fire protection of themselves, and the house.
Need I say it, even men are a bit of a handful in this area. This is not tongue in cheek, this is true. Men seem to panic quicker, especially those that are only cooking occasionally. So educate hubby as well.
Outdoor cooking is fun and if you are going to be having lots of meals cooked ourdoors, fire protection rules are important for the family to understand. Make sure they understand the responsibility of gas BBQs, electric BBQs, charcoal BBQs, camp fires, and other systems that you may use outdoors.
Ensure that your family has discussed fire protection, how to go about being safe, and what to do in case of fire.