Fire Prevention Week to Conclude with Open House at Station 1

The Redlands Fire Department encouraged the Redlands community to learn how to prevent kitchen fires during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6 through 12. Cooking equipment is involved in roughly 150,000 home fires per year, and many of those fires start because people aren’t paying attention. And while a few minutes may not seem like much time to be away from what’s cooking, that’s all it takes to start a fire that could destroy a home and harm a family. One of the keys to preventing injuries from kitchen fires is to maintain a safety zone of three feet that is kid-free and pet-free around all cooking equipment and stoves when an adult is cooking. Other ways to prevent kitchen fires and injuries include: • Always pay attention to things that are cooking. • Watch the stove top when frying, grilling, or broiling food. • If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove. • Keep all things that can burn—dish towels, curtains, or paper—at least three feet away from the stove. • Keep the top of the stove clean. No spilled food, grease, paper or bags. • Keep pot handles turned in towards the back of the stove when cooking. • Open containers slowly after they are removed from the microwave, as hot steam escaping from the container can cause painful burns. • Post the Fire Department’s emergency number near the phone. • Be sure your family has a working smoke alarms and a home fire escape plan. The community is invited to learn more at the Redlands Fire Department Open House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, at Station 1, 525 E. Citrus Ave. Sparky will be on duty with firefighters who will give tours of the station and demonstrate firefighting and lifesaving equipment. The department’s Healthy Redlands partners—YMCA, California Highway Patrol, Beaver Medical Center, Redlands Community Hospital and Redlands Police Department—will also be on hand with safety messages and to visit with the community. This event is free and open to the public.