As Fire Prevention Month is underway and Fire Prevention Week, October 8-14, approaches, the Red Wing Fire Department is encouraging everyone to take steps to keep themselves and those around them safe when cooking.
The Red Wing Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to promote that message.
According to NFPA, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and deaths.
Safety tips include includes staying in the kitchen while cooking; keeping kids, pets, and items that can catch fire at least 3 feet away from the stove; and going outside to call 911 if a fire does not go out after it is contained – by using a lid on the stovetop or keeping the oven door shut – and the heat is turned off.
Red Wing Fire Chief Mike Warner says the cooking safety theme will be present at Red Wing Fire Department’s annual open house on Sunday, October 15, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Fire Station 1, 420 Plum Street.
The open house Sunday includes a cooking fire demonstration in addition to opportunities to tour the station, view fire trucks and ambulances, and talk to firefighters.