Fire Prevention: Kitchen Tips for you

More fires start in the kitchen than anywhere else in the home - but that doesn't mean you have to get rid of your stove or eat out all the time. There's a lot you can do to help fireproof your kitchen and reduce the chances of a fire starting from cooking.

Both gas and electric stoves can cause fires, as can toasters, toaster ovens, and any electrical appliance that can overheat. Be sure to follow the instructions when using your appliances.

Here are some quick tips to help keep your kitchen a safe place.

• Don't store things on top of, in, or around your oven.
  Keep flammable things like dishtowels, paper bags, or cereal boxes, away from your stove. Don't use your oven as 'extra storage' for flammable things like paper or plastic bags, plastic containers, or dishtowels. Even if you don't turn the oven on, the pilot light can ignite objects inside.
• Turn pot handles toward the center of the stove when cooking on the stove top.
  Pots and handles should never hang over the edge of the stove where someone could bump into them. This is one of the major causes of serious burns in children and elderly people.
• Don't leave cooking unattended.
  It only takes a minute for a fire to get out of hand. Don't leave things cooking on the stove top unattended and check regularly on the things cooking in the oven.
• Use caution when cooking and handling hot objects.
  Use potholders (as opposed to rags, that may catch fire) when moving any hot object. This includes objects coming out of the microwave - even 'microwave-safe' dishes can get extremely hot.
• Always wear aprons made up of Flame retardant fabric. Click here to see the advantages of flame retardant fabrics
• Avoid wearing clothes with long, loose-fitting sleeves that may catch fire easily.
  If your clothing catches fire, STOP, DROP AND ROLL!
• If a pot catches fire, turn off the burner and cover the pot with a lid.
• Keep cooking appliances free of food crumbs and scraps.
  Clean your stove top, oven and toaster regularly to prevent leftover pieces of food from catching on fire. But remember, use caution when cleaning your appliances -- unplug any electrical appliances and follow the cleaning instructions closely to avoid electrocution.
• Keep electrical appliances away from water and fire.
  Try to plug in your appliances and keep electrical cords as far away as possible from water hazards, like the sink, or fire hazards, like the stove top.
• Don't try to put out grease or electrical fires with water - this will only make them worse!
  Adding water to a grease fire can make it spread. Adding water to an electrical fire can cause electrocution. One of the simplest and cheapest extinguishers of a grease fire is baking soda. Keep a box next to your stove to throw on stove top fires.
• Use your stove only as directed.
  If you have a gas stove and smell gas (beyond a burnt-out pilot light), turn off all burners, open windows for better ventilation and call your gas company. Be cautious when relighting pilot lights: make sure the room is well ventilated and use long-stemmed matches or lighters. Never use your stove (electric or gas) to heat the room. 

Fire Retardant Fabrics

People unfamiliar with fire retardants are surprised to hear that wood or fabric can qualify as a non-combustible material to a certain degree. Should a fire strike, the chemicals react with combustible gases and tars normally generated by the material. The tars are converted to carbon char which forms on the surface, slowing the burning rate . The combustible gases are rendered nonflammable for the most part due to dilution with harmless carbon dioxide and water vapor released in the reaction. This happens automatically, driven by the heat of the fire, and requires no coating maintenance, batteries, or plumbing; it is true passive protection.

According to the NFPA's National Fire Safety Survey findings: Although the U.S. has a higher fire death rate than Canada, Western Europe and the Pacific Rim, the majority of Americans are very confident about their fire safety. Older adults express the greatest confidence even though they have the greatest risk of fire death. Men are more confident about fire safety than women; although, of the two groups, men are at a higher risk of fire death. The majority of Americans feel safest from fire in their homes, when in truth, home fires account for roughly 80% of all fires - and they pose the greatest threat to life. The cost of operating public fire prevention services in the U.S. costs the taxpayers billions of dollars per year, most of which is spent on suppression of fire. Many people have the attitude that "fire only happens to other people." But until fire strikes their home and family, fire prevention is ignored. Once fire prevention week comes and goes each October, little thought is given to fire safety and prevention until next year's campaign. Fire suppression is a necessary and vitally important service. It is, however, "after-the-fact". This includes smoke detectors, alarms, sprinklers and extinguishers. The use of fire retardants or firestops are logical "before-the-fact" steps that should be taken. Fire spreads 1100% in the first 4 minutes. Heat rises at 90 feet per second or approximately 60 mph. Approximately 90% of fire fatalities are in the home and 90% of the fatalities occur during the sleeping hours 10pm to 6am. Remember, smoke alarms and sprinklers cannot prevent the fire, but fire retardants in most cases can prevent and/or slow the spread of fire, which can greatly prevent lose of life and property in addition to using smoke alarms or sprinklers. By applying fire retardants to your curtains, furniture, carpeting, etc., is very easy and is an added safety precaution for smokers and small children in the home. Your home and family deserve the best fire protection possible, so why not invest in it.

For more information or to order a fire retardant, please visit National Fireproofing Co. at: www.natfire.com We supply non-toxic, non-staining formulas specifically for fabrics.

The Flammability of Fabrics

All fabrics will burn but some are more combustible than others. Untreated natural fibers such as cotton, linen and silk burn more readily than wool, which is more difficult to ignite and burns with a low flame velocity.

The weight and weave of the fabric will affect how easily the material will ignite and burn. Recommended fabrics are materials with a tight weave. Heavy, tight weave fabrics will burn more slowly than loose weave, light fabrics of the same material. The surface texture of the fabric also affects flammability. Fabrics with long, loose, fluffy pile or "brushed" nap will ignite more readily than fabrics with a hard, tight surface, and in some cases will result in flames flashing across the fabric surface.

Most synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, acrylic or polyester resist ignition. However, once ignited, the fabrics melt. This hot, sticky, melted substance causes localized and extremely severe burns. When natural and synthetic fibers are blended, the hazard may increase because the combination of high rate of burning and fabric melting usually will result in serious burns. In some cases, the hazard may be greater than that of either fabric individually.

Curtains, draperies and other articles in the home can have their burning rates reduced with flame retardants applied through chemical treatment. Such flame-retardant treatment after manufacturing is not recommended for clothing.

In terms of flammability, silk may be the worst with a high burning rate, which may be increased by the dyes and other additives to provide color.

Cotton and linen also have a high burning rate but this can be alleviated by the application of flame-retardant chemical additives.

Acetate and triacetate are as flammable or slightly less flammable than cotton. However, they can be made flame-retardant with chemical treatment.

Nylon, polyester and acrylic tend to be slow to ignite but once ignited, severe melting and dripping occurs.

Wool is comparatively flame-retardant. If ignited, it usually has a low burning rate and may self-extinguish.

Glass fibers and moacrylic are almost flame-resistant. These synthetic fibers are designed and manufactured to possess flame-retardant properties.

Facts about the fire

FIRE:

Fire was discovered by ancient man

during the Lower Paleolithic period. Since

then Fire has been an important part of

human settlements, cultures and religions,

from pre-history to modern day, and was vital

for the development of civilization. It was

commonly associated with the qualities of

energy, assertiveness, and passion. The

word agni is Sanskrit for "fire", and has three forms: fire, lightning and the sun.

FIRE HAZARD:

A fire hazard is any situation in which there is a greater than normal risk of harm to

people or property due to fire. Fire hazards include things which, in the event of fire, pose

a hazard to people, such as materials that produce toxic fumes when heated or objects

that block fire exits.

Fire hazards can take the form of ways that fires can easily start, such as a blocked

cooling vent, or overloaded electrical system, ways fires can spread rapidly, such as an

insufficiently protected fuel store or areas with high oxygen concentrations.

HISTORY OF FIRE SERVICES:

The following are some of the land marks of development in the history of Fire Services

• 321 BC - In Kautilya’s Arthashastra there were chapters about Fire Preventive Rules

• 27-14 BC - Fire Station concept of Augustus Caesar in Roman Empire.

• 1027 A.D - Fire Preventive Codes by King William-I

• 1666 A.D - Great London Fire.

• Modern Fire and Rescue Services.

CLASSIFICATION OF FIRE: (According to ISI - 2190/1979)

The classification of fire is done according to the material by which the fire is caused.

1. Class 'A' Fires:

These are fires involving solid materials, normally of carbon compounds in which combustion

generally occurs with the formation of glowing embers. These types of fires are most

common. Example - Wood, rags, paper, plastic, coal etc.

2. Class 'B' Fires:

These fires involve flammable liquids or liquefiable solids. That is, fires occurring in vapor-air

mixture over the surface of flammable liquids, such as gasoline, oils, paints, thinners, ghee,

fats, petroleum products etc.

3. Class 'C' Fires:

These are fires involving liquefiable gases like Propane, Butane, LPG, H2, Acetalene etc.

4. Class 'D' Fires :

These are fires that occur in combustible metals such as magnesium, titanium, sodium etc.

These burning metals react with water and water containing agent.

CURRENT STATUS AND TRENDS OF FIRE INCIDENTS:

Fire incidents can be classified according to the material that causes fire, the intensity of

damage, the type of buildings that were damaged etc. The current trend of fire incidents in

Metro cities shows an increasing in number of fire incidents. The following are some of the

current status of fire incidents in some of the metro cities in India.

1) DELHI:

According to Delhi Fire Service statistics, Delhi had more

than 75,000 fire incidents during 1995-96 to 1999-2000,

resulting in more than 1825 deaths, injuries to more than

7,600 persons and loss of property valuing more than

Rupees 176 crores. The Delhi state has a special Act for

Fire prevention called as “Delhi Fire Prevention and Fire

Safety Act, 1986”

Some of the major fire incidents in Delhi are:

_ Lal Kuan fire

_ Gandhi Market, Sadar bazaar fire, 1990.

_ Siddartha Hotel, Jan 1986.

_ Uphaar Cinema, June 1997

2) CHENNAI :

According to Tamilnadu Fire Service

statistics, Chennai had more than 8950 fire

incidents during the last five years (2001 to

2006), resulting in more than 31 deaths,

loss of property valuing more than Rupees

10.39 crores.

The following are some of the major fire incidents that happened in Chennai:

• LIC Building Fire, Chennai (11th July 1975)

• Fire In Spencer Buildings (13th February 1981)

• Moore Market, Chennai (30th May, 1985)

• Fire In Air France Aircraft (5th March, 1999)

• Fire In General Post Office, Chennai (23 October 2000)