5 Easy Steps to Participate in National Burn Awareness Week.

2/2/2022 (Permalink)

Stove topped turned on to show the safety of cooking in support for National Burn Awareness Week.

The first week in February marks the start of National Burn Awareness Week, and if you are a Shasta County resident you know how fire prevention and knowledge can save lives.  We have included 5 easy steps you can take to stay better prepared and participate in keeping our State, City, and your home safe. 

• Watch Your Stove. This year the National Burn Awareness Week is focusing on staying safe while cooking. 

• According to the NFPA cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. You can help prevent home fires by staying in the kitchen when you fry, grill, or broil your food. And try to keep a special eye on the kitchen around the holidays, as Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day are the leading peak days for home cooking fires. 

• Keep Children at least 3 feet away from the stove. It is a natural phenomenon how fast kids can grab, stick, or pull over something that could hurt them. Their stealthiness could be packaged as "how to be a ninja." But as much as their dad is proud of their new and acclaimed disappearing act, We can keep them safe by following these few safety tips while cooking.
  • Cook on the back burners when possible. 

• Don’t allow kids to play with the oven, on or off. 
• Purchase knob covers for your stove, keeping children from being able to turn on the stove. 

• Own or have access to a fire extinguisher. 
• Most local Shasta County hardware stores carry portable, residential, and commercial extinguishers. Fema recommends after the purchase of your fire extinguisher, you familiarize yourself with how the product works, along with the needed maintenance required to keep your fire extinguisher working properly. 
• Always keep your fire extinguisher easily accessible. 

• Have a smoke detector in every room and every level of your house. 
• We have all heard that smoke detectors could save lives, but did you know that 3 out of the 5 deaths in house fires were caused by not having a smoke detector or a working smoke detector? Here is a quick video you can follow on how to properly install a smoke detector in your home bringing peace of mind that you and your family are safe. 

• Stay Alert and have an evacuation plan. 
• Creating an evacuation plan together is a great way to keep your kids active and knowledgeable in case of a fire. Drawing a detailed map of your house using crayons, colored pencils, or markers can help bring some fun to a serious conversation. X marks the spot when it comes to creating two exits out of each room including windows and doors. Sometimes we only have minutes to escape our homes, being well-prepared could potentially save lives. 

During this week, let's all do our part in becoming more educated and equipped in how to take a few extra steps in the kitchen to keep us and the ones we love safe. Check out the American Burn Association for more tips on how to keep your next cooking adventure fun and safe for all. 

If you are in the Redding area and have experienced any fire damage to your home give us a call! 

530-222-0200