Kauai Fire Chief Robert Westerman and members of the Kauai Fire Department accepted a proclamation from Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. announcing Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6 through 12. Carvalho said two of every five home fires start in the kitchen,
Kauai Fire Chief Robert Westerman and members of the Kauai Fire Department accepted a proclamation from Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. announcing Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6 through 12.
Carvalho said two of every five home fires start in the kitchen, and one-third of the reported cooking fires are usually due to unattended equipment.
Cooking fires accounted for 44 percent of the total residential structure fires, and 25 percent of civilian injuries from June 2010 to June 2013.
He encourages residents to stay in the kitchen when frying food on the stovetop, keep a 3-foot kid-free zone around cooking areas and keep anything which can catch fire away from stovetops in addition to practicing a home fire escape plan in order to be more prepared and thereby are more likely to survive a fire.
Of the reported non-fatal home cooking fire injuries, the injuries occur when the victims try to fight the fire themselves. Additionally, children under 5 years old face a higher risk of non-fire burns associated with cooking, rather than being burned in a cooking fire.
People can learn how to deal with kitchen fires and the use of fire extinguishers by visiting the Kauai Fire Department Training Trailer, which will be appearing at The Home Depot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
An additional appearance will take place on Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in conjunction with the Kmart Safety Day at the Kmart parking lot.
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
