Fire is a serious subject and i have to admit that it scares the bejeebus out of me. But as this is a food blog I’m going to localise this rant to Kitchen Fires
Couple of rules:
- NEVER THROW WATER ONTO AN OIL FIRE !!!!!!!!
- KEEP A FIRE BLANKET IN THE KITCHEN.
- ALWAYS CALL THE FIRE BRIGADE even if you’ve put the fire out.
Did you know these three things ?
I can tell you now that until I did my Fire Wardenship (just this Thursday) … i only knew 2 of these rules.
Never throw water onto an oil fire … i knew this one … but omg … i saw what happens … there is an explosion of fire … adding the water makes the fire increase 17,000 times ie a small little fire become gigantic in a split second. Look it up here if you like. This video shows you how you can put out the fire (how to act) and also shows what happens when you add water (Please note that this video was filmed in a controlled environment with professionals in attendance to serve as a demonstration).
Make sure you keep a Fire Blanket in an accessible position nearby, in your kitchen. If you don’t have one (like me) please get one soon (which i definitely will). They’re about $20 from a hardware store. The damp teatowel will work but after having a play with a fire blanket, its a much better form of fire smothering and protects you from the heat as well as the flames. Teatowel won’t protect you from the heat.
Third – and here’s the one i didn’t know !
Even if i’ve put the fire out always dial 000 for the MFB (or CFA depending on your area [i presume] Jarrad please correct me if i’m wrong). The intense heat from the fire would have gone up your rangehood (or similar device) and could be smoldering gently in your roof insulation, attic dust and debris etc. Don’t forget … up there is a lot of fat from your cooking ! That isn’t going to help either. Our instructor, who still fights fires, says that a large proportion of the roof fires they attend, originally had a kitchen fire put out earlier in the day by the resident.
When you call 000, state that you’ve “had a kitchen fire and it is now out” … a fire fighter will come out with some nifty devices that will check for any thermal hot spots in your ceiling and act accordingly.
To reiterate:
- NEVER THROW WATER ONTO AN OIL FIRE !!!!!!!!
- KEEP A FIRE BLANKET IN THE KITCHEN.
- ALWAYS CALL THE FIRE BRIGADE even if you’ve put the fire out.
Please.
