Psa: Fire Prevention Week - Chimneys/Heating

[janetupnorth]

As a Lieutenant on my local Fire Department, I cannot let Fire Prevention Week go by without a PSA for my fellow cheffers.

As we approach the winter heating season, please be sure to be wise with your house.

Be sure to clean out your chimney before you burn for the first time this season if you burn wood. ...and burn wood, not paper or pine... Also, if you cannot do it, have your chimney inspected.

Replace your batteries in your smoke detectors and test them.

Replace the batteries or install a Carbon Monoxide detector in your house if you use a furnace. Make sure furnaces and other heating devices are properly vented.

If you are short on funds this year, please, PLEASE do not resort to unsafe methods to keep you warm.

Check with your local electric and gas companies about getting on time of use plans, use blankets and other clothing to stay warmer. Cook dinners in the evening which will warm your house. Don't compromise health and safety!

 

[raebates]

Thanks for the reminders, Janet.This is also a good time to clean your lint trap. Do you use dryer sheets? If so, you'll want to clean the dryer's lint trap twice a year. Just use warm water and an old toothbrush. Dryer sheets have a waxy substance that clogs the holes in your lint trap. Cleaning it twice a year can make your dryer last longer and work more efficiently (which = $$$ saved).

 

[pampchefsarah]

Hey Janet, when I received this e-mail, I thought of you! This seems like the perfect thread in which to post it, too.

Kitchen Fire - Read first, then watch




I never realized that a wet dishcloth can be a one size fits all lid to
Cover a fire in a pan!




This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with
A common kitchen fire ... Oil in a frying pan. Read the following
Introduction, then watch the show ... It's a real eye-opener!!

At the Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a
Deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire
Suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a10 foot pole toss water onto the
Grease fire. The results got the attention of the students.




The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it
Instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the steam blows the



Burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball



That resembled a nuclear blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball



Hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.




Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup creates the
Explosive force of two sticks of dynamite. This is a powerful
Message----watch the video and don't forget what you see. Tell your
Whole family about this video Or better yet, send this to them.

YouTube - Kitchen Oil Fire

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Please make sure you read tomorrow morning's update.

 

[janetupnorth]

Please make sure you read tomorrow morning's update.

Ok, I'll try to remember that in the a.m.!