This is Fire Prevention week with an emphasis on kitchen fires.

High River Fire Chief Cody Zebedee says it's best not to be distracted or leave the room.

"Stay focused when you're cooking, not leaving unattended food, things in the oven, those sorts of things when you're not around, making sure you're keeping an eye on things, especially when we're looking at cooking with oils and greases and that sort of thing that can overheat and catch fire quite quickly and then spread into kitchen cabinets," he says. "Some of the other things we like to make people aware of is making sure the cooking area is clear, dish towels, tea towels, paper towels, any of those combustible things, keeping them well clear of the stove top."

He says it's a good idea to get out of the habit of taking something out of the cabinet and placing it on top of the stove where it can quickly catch fire if a burner's left on.

Zebedee says it's a good idea to keep a small 2 lb. or 5 lb. fire extinguisher nearby just in case and adds having one in the garage is also a good idea.

"If something does catch fire in the kitchen best practice is, don't pick the pot up that's on fire and try to carry it across the kitchen, put a lid on it and cover it and let the cover snuff it out and a quick call to us at 911 just to get us coming just in case the lid was to come off or the fire was to extend, at least you have the fire department coming," Zebedee says.

He says one type of fire that's been on the rise is barbeque fires.

"Make sure your barbeque has a good clear space around it, especially when you have vinyl siding and combustibles on the exterior of the home, make it far enough away that those don't melt or light on fire. Make sure your connections are tight and your hoses are in good working order, there's no cracks or slits in them," he says. "Having a good, clean barbeque really helps, we tend to forget about the bottom part of the barbeque where all the food and debris lands, make sure those are cleaned out on a regular basis."

Zebedee says it's been a different kind of fire prevention week this year. They usually have about 300 students come through the station but between COVID and the construction of the new fire hall they couldn't do that this year.

He says they do have virtual tours on their Facebook page and on YouTube.

 

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