TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is highlighting Fire Prevention Week, which is observed throughout the week of October 4 – 10, 2020. This year’s theme is “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” and effectively serves to remind Floridians to stay alert and use caution when cooking to reduce the risk of kitchen fires. Between 2013 – 2017, cooking was the leading cause of home fires in the United States, with fire departments responding to more than 173,000 fires annually.

CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said, “With the holidays right around the corner, it’s never too early to start practicing good fire safety habits in the kitchen. As State Fire Marshal, I’m committed to ensuring the safety of all Floridians and I’m urging you to participate in this year’s campaign by checking the kitchen for fire hazards and using safe cooking practices, especially around children and pets. It’s estimated that two of every five home fires start in the kitchen with 31% of these fires resulting from unattended cooking. I’m encouraging all Floridians to be aware of fire hazards to ensure you are prepared now so you can prevent fire-related tragedies in the future."

Cooking Safety Tips and Resources

• Always stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling, or boiling food.
• Always stay alert while cooking at the stove or stovetop.
• Keep anything that can catch fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains – away from your stovetop.
• If you have a small (grease) cooking fire on the stovetop and decide to fight the fire, smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Leave the pan covered until it’s completely cooled.
• If you have a small (grease) cooking fire in the oven and decide to fight the fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
• Most cooking fires in the home involve the stovetop.

For more information on cooking safety, click  here.
 
For more fire safety and prevention tips, please visit www.myfloridacfo.com/Division/SFM/.