State Member for Wallsend, Ms Sonia Hornery MP, is calling on all residents to ensure they take appropriate precautions to avoid unnecessary kitchen fires with some kitchen fire safety tips.
During the 2015/2016 fire season, Fire & Rescue NSW responded to 122,827 emergencies, which is one call every four minutes. Kitchen fires were the largest single cause of house fires in NSW and again in 2016, they represented 45% of all residential fires and 34% of injuries. Since the beginning of this year, at least 53 people have been injured in kitchen fires alone.
As a result of this increase, Fire & Rescue NSW recently launched an important Fire safety campaign across NSW. The Keep Looking When Cooking mini mag has handy tips on how to stay fire safe in the kitchen.
Quotes attributable to Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery
“Kitchen fires account for 34% of fire injuries, with the most common cause being a flame or heat source left unattended.”
“The Keep Looking When Cooking campaign is designed to educate the community about fire safety in the kitchen and what to do in the event of a fire.”
“It can take just three minutes for a fire to take hold, but only seconds to prevent one.”
“I would encourage residents to visit their local café, bar or community centre for a copy of the Keep Looking When Cooking mini mag or visit the website at https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au to download the mini mag and fire safety tips.”
“The website also has a number of great recipes put together by Fire & Rescue NSW firefighters which will give you the answer to that perennial question – “What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Be aware of fire safety at home and help reduce the number of residential fires, especially those that start in the kitchen.”