What’s In This Articles

• Fire Safety for Home Kitchens
• Be Careful Cooking with Oil
• Invest in a Good Fire Extinguisher
• If You Need a Public Adjuster for a Fire Damage Insurance Claim Call AllCity Adjusting

Fire Safety for Home Kitchens

According to a 2010 study by the National Fire Protection Association, 41% of home fires started in the kitchen area. In addition, home fires caused 15% of the home fire deaths and 36% of the reported fire injuries. Consequently, it is important for homeowners to practice fire safety in home kitchens.

There are several steps homeowners should take to practice fire safety for home kitchens.

First, install smoke detectors. Of course, make sure they work and are UL-rated.

Additionally, you should get smoke alarms that double as carbon-monoxide (CO) detectors.

As another example, don’t leave food cooking on the stovetop unattended. In fact, unattended cooking is one of the leading causes of kitchen fires. If you’re going to cook, then cook; but if you’re going to do five other things at the same time, don’t.

You should always be aware of children and pets in the kitchen. Don’t leave pots or panhandles pointing over the edge of the stove. Certainly, a child could grab the handle of a pot or pan and spill the cooking food over themselves.

If you have pets underfoot, you could trip while holding a hot pan or pot, hurting yourself, or starting a fire.

Indeed, spilled oil can instantly go up in flames.

Moreover, you should always wear appropriate clothing. Loose clothes and excess fabric increase the risk they’ll accidentally ignite if too close to heat sources.

Likewise, clothes that are loose or have straps are more likely to get snagged, accidentally pulling pots off cooktops.

If not careful, oven mitts can catch fire.

Another important fire safety practice for the cook is to monitor the temperature of the food. This is particularly true when cooking with oil.

The easiest way to monitor your oil temp throughout the cooking process is with a probe thermometer that clips onto the side of a pot.

In addition, always stay in the kitchen when frying on the stovetop.

If you see wisps of smoke or the oil smells, immediately turn off the heat source and/or carefully remove the pan from the burner. In reality, smoke is a dangerous sign that the oil is too hot.

Consequently, if you see wisps of smoke or the oil smells, immediately turn off the burner and/or remove the pan from the burner.

Another safety tip-always heat the oil slowly to the temperature you need to cook with it.

Additionally, add food gently to the pot. This will prevent hot oil from splattering.

You should always cook with a lid beside your pan. Placing the lid on top of the pan will deny the fire oxygen. As a result, the fire should die in the pan. Let the pan cool for a long time.

Never throw water on an oil fire. That could only cause the burning oil to spread from the pan.

There are a lot of reasons to keep your kitchen and cooking area clean. Of course, it discourages vermin and reduces the risk of cross-contamination.

But having a clean kitchen makes it a little less flammable. By that we mean a clean cooking area reduces the risk of a cooking fire spreading.

Conversely, a kitchen not properly cleaned may have a fine layer of sticky vaporized grease coating surfaces. Consequently, this can help a fire spread even faster than it might otherwise have.

Be Careful Cooking with Oil

It’s usually a mistake in most kitchen fires to douse them with water. In fact, most cooking-related fires involve either grease or electrical appliances. As a result, water may only make a grease or electrical fire worse.

Instead, you want to smother them with a lid or baking sheet. In addition, pouring baking soda on the grease fire when it is beginning can deny the fire oxygen and put it out.

It’s a good idea to be aware of where the lids, baking sheets, and baking soda are in any kitchen. You’ll want to grab them quickly without having to search frantically while the flames grow.

Invest in a Good Fire Extinguisher

A fire extinguisher may be the best and safest way for you to put out a kitchen fire. However, it is important to get the correct one.

First, buy an ABC fire extinguisher. The “A” stands for ordinary combustibles like wood and paper. “B” means you can use it for all sorts of liquid fires like grease and gasoline.

Lastly, “C” means it’s rated to combat electrical fires.

Remember, like smoke detectors, make sure the fire extinguisher is UL-rated.

To emphasize, using the wrong extinguisher on a kitchen fire can make things much worse.

The best size for home use is between three and five pounds. That is small enough to fit into most home kitchens. But it is also large enough to be effective in case of a kitchen fire.

Likewise, it is important to know how to use a fire extinguisher correctly. Stand too close and the force of the blast can spray flaming grease all over, spreading the fire more quickly.

Rather, stand eight to 10 feet from the fire when using an extinguisher.

Aiming at the base of the fire is important. In fact, you want to make sure you aim it at the source of combustion, not at the flames themselves.

Remember to use a sweeping motion as you put out the fire.

Lastly, if the fire is getting out of control, grab everyone and get out of your house or apartment. Then call 911 or the fire department directly if you haven’t already.

If You Need a Public Adjuster for a Fire Damage Insurance Claim Call AllCity Adjusting

We are a family-owned claims company with five decades of combined adjusting experience. As a result, if there’s one thing we understand, it’s that you need 100% of your claim value.

You have already gone through a tumultuous event. For this reason, get an agency that gets you more.

At AllCity Adjusting we work to ensure you get 100% of your fire damage claim value. Equally important, with over 50 years of combined adjusting experience, we know insurance companies and understand where they cut corners.

Moreover, we help you build a larger claim, maximize your claim value, and get you back to normal fast.

Therefore, don’t get fooled. Instead, get the company that gets you more.

If you have received a lowball offer from the insurance company, or they are taking too long to process your fire damage claim, or you just want to talk to someone on your side, call us at 844.692.3587. You can also email us at info@allcityadhjusting.com.