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Stand By Your Pan

How often has the doorbell rung or a child interrupted you while you were cooking, causing you to forget about the chicken you left sizzling on the stove - until smoke filled the house?

If this scenario or a similar one doesn’t sound familiar to you, you may want to think about it a little more because it’s likely that you, a friend, or family member has run the risk of having a dangerous fire. It’s our hope that people reading this article won’t have to learn the hard way.

If we could give just one fire warning, it would be “stand by your pan!”

Why? Because cooking is the leading cause of home fires, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The latest statistics from NFPA say that one out of every three home fires started in the kitchen and more than 100,000 fires a year were related to cooking.

We’re joining forces with NFPA and thousands of other fire departments across North America to commemorate Fire Prevention Week, October 8-14, “Prevent Cooking Fires – Watch What You Heat.” The theme reminds us that leaving cooking unattended and other unsafe kitchen practices are a recipe for disaster.

Often when we’re called to a cooking-related fire, the residents tell us they only left the kitchen for a few minutes. Sadly, that’s all it takes for a dangerous fire to start. The bottom line is that there’s really no safe period of time for the cook to step away from a hot stove. A few key points to remember:

• Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling, or boiling food. If you must leave the the room even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• When you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home, and use a timer to remind you.
• Keep cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles (e.g. potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging).
• Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a “kid-free zone” of three feet (1 meter) around the stove.
• If you have a fire in your microwave, turn it off immediately and keep the door closed. Never open the door until the fire is completely out. If in doubt, get out of the home and call the fire department.
• Always keep an oven mitt and a lid nearby. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by carefully sliding  the lid over the pan (make sure you are wearing the oven mitt). Turn off the burner and slide the pan off the burner. To keep the fire from restarting, do not remove the lid until it is completely cool. Never pour water on a grease fire. If the fire does not go out, get out of the home and call the fire department.
• If an oven fire starts, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you or your clothing. If the fire does not go out, get out of the home and call the fire department.

A cooking fire can quickly turn deadly. We’ve have seen too many homes destroyed and people killed or injured by fires that could have been easily avoided. Please heed these simple safety rules. We firefighters would like to be in your kitchen, but only when you invite us for dinner!

Reproduced from NFPA's Fire Prevention Week Web site, www.firepreventionweek.org. ©2006 NFPA

Kids: Visit Sparky the Fire Dog’s Official Website

The History of Fire Prevention Week

(From the NFPA Website)

• Commemorating a conflagration
• The 'Moo' myth
• The biggest blaze that week
• Eight decades of fire prevention
• Fire Prevention Week themes over the years

Commemorating a conflagration
Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.

According to popular legend, the fire broke out after a cow - belonging to Mrs. Catherine O'Leary - kicked over a lamp, setting first the barn, then the whole city on fire. Chances are you've heard some version of this story yourself; people have been blaming the Great Chicago Fire on the cow and Mrs. O'Leary, for more than 130 years. But recent research by Chicago historian Robert Cromie has helped to debunk this version of events.

The 'Moo' myth
Like any good story, the 'case of the cow' has some truth to it. The great fire almost certainly started near the barn where Mrs. O'Leary kept her five milking cows. But there is no proof that O'Leary was in the barn when the fire broke out - or that a jumpy cow sparked the blaze. Mrs. O'Leary herself swore that she'd been in bed early that night, and that the cows were also tucked in for the evening.

But if a cow wasn't to blame for the huge fire, what was? Over the years, journalists and historians have offered plenty of theories. Some blamed the blaze on a couple of neighborhood boys who were near the barn sneaking cigarettes. Others believed that a neighbor of the O'Leary's may have started the fire. Some people have speculated that a fiery meteorite may have fallen to earth on October 8, starting several fires that day - in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Chicago.

The biggest blaze that week
While the Great Chicago Fire was the best-known blaze to start during this fiery two-day stretch, it wasn't the biggest. That distinction goes to the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fire in American history. The fire, which also occurred on October 8th, 1871, and roared through Northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended.

Historical accounts of the fire say that the blaze began when several railroad workers clearing land for tracks unintentionally started a brush fire. Before long, the fast-moving flames were whipping through the area 'like a tornado,' some survivors said. It was the small town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin that suffered the worst damage. Within an hour, the entire town had been destroyed.

Eight decades of fire prevention
Those who survived the Chicago and Peshtigo fires never forgot what they'd been through; both blazes produced countless tales of bravery and heroism. But the fires also changed the way that firefighters and public officials thought about fire safety. On the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (today known as the International Fire Marshals Association), decided that the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should henceforth be observed not with festivities, but in a way that would keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention.  The commemoration grew incrementally official over the years.

Fire Prevention Week themes over the years

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925.

W.H.H. Fire Prevention Team

The Fire Prevention Team was recognized in October 2004 by The Fireman's Association of the State of Pennsylvania with a 4th place award at the association's annual meeting. Kathie Snauffer received the"William B. Phillips Award" which recognizes an individual, in the opinion of the Awards Committee, who has contributed the "Most Outstanding Effort In Fire Prevention".

The Fire Prevention Team was again recently recognized as one of the best in Pennsylvania. In August 2005, the team was awarded the 2nd Place Fire Prevention Award by the Central District Volunteer Fireman's Association.

The Team keeps busy throughout the year planning for & attending events. October is always the busiest time of year with Fire prevention Week activities including school visitations, fire prevention programs, tours of the firehouse, and open house.  

With The Heating Season Approaching, Please Read The Following Facts About Carbon Monoxide:  

Carbon Monoxide, or (CO) is often called "The Silent Killer". This is because it is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, toxic gas. It combines with the body's blood and prevents it from absorbing oxygen. Incomplete combustion of fossil fuels creates carbon monoxide. Only use natural gas appliances according to manufacturers' specifications.

Some sources of carbon monoxide are:

• Automobile exhaust

• Clogged or blocked chimneys, or rusted flues or vent pipes.

• Improperly installed or malfunctioning fireplaces and appliances.

• Space heaters

Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning are much like the flu: headaches, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, nausea and vomiting. At higher concentrations, CO can cause unconsciousness or death. Be wary if all family members have the same symptoms, which clear up outside the house. If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, and you should do the following:

• Make everyone go outside.

• Call 9-1-1 or the emergency number for your area if an emergency situation exists or someone is overcome by carbon monoxide.

• Seek medical attention if needed.

• Identify and correct the source of the carbon monoxide.

• Leave windows closed so fire department can locate where the carbon monoxide is coming from.

We strongly recommend that residents install a Carbon Monoxide Detectors, and maintain them the same as you do your Smoke Detectors. Change the batteries when you turn your clocks back an hour in the fall, and forward an hour in the spring. PLEASE test them often.

The fire department does NOT recommend any specific brand of carbon monoxide detector. We do, however, suggest that you buy one approved by the Underwriters Laboratories.