COQUITLAM, B.C., October 4, 2023 – During Fire Prevention Week, October 8 to 14, Coquitlam Fire/Rescue is reminding everyone about the importance of cooking safety, as cooking is the number one cause of home fires and home-fire injuries - Cooking Safety Starts with You.
In a fire, seconds can make a difference. All household members should know how to cook safely and know what to do if there is a kitchen fire. Coquitlam residents are encouraged to know this cooking safety checklist:
- Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling or broiling. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
- Keep anything that can catch fire—oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains—away from your stove top.
- Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 1 metre around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried. Use the stovetop backburners whenever possible.
- Ensure you have a kitchen fire extinguisher and know how to use it.
- Have a home fire escape plan and practice what to do in case of a fire.
- Open microwaved containers slowly as hot steam can cause burns.
- If you do have a cooking fire, get out of the home immediately closing the door behind you to help contain the fire, and call 9-1-1. Note: Never add water to a grease fire. Instead, put a tight-fitting lid on the pot/pan, turn off the heat, and then call 9-1-1.
- For an oven fire turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.
Don’t Forget About Smoke Alarms
Smoke alarms are the most important part of a home fire safety because they provide early warning. B.C. law requires all homes to have smoke alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. Landlords are also required to ensure their rental properties have working alarms.
Smoke alarms are proven to save lives, but only if they are functioning. Make sure your household is protected by:
- Having a working smoke alarm on each floor
- Replacing batteries each spring and fall when the clocks change
- Testing smoke alarms monthly and keeping them free of dust and uncovered
- Replacing smoke alarms at least once every 10 years
For more information visit coquitlam.ca/SeasonalSafety.
Media contact:
Shawn Davidson
Deputy Fire Chief
604-927-6433
firerescue@coquitlam.ca
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.