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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Kitchen fires are a serious concern for the Fire Department at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Since the beginning of the year, they have responded to several house fires on base that were the result of unattended cooking.
“We’ve had a rash of fires this year,” said Donald Lane, JBLM chief fire inspector. “Fortunately none of these fires have resulted in any injuries or deaths. However, these fires have cost the government and service members about $145,000.”
To combat kitchen fires, the JBLM Fire Department is committed to educating service members and their families on proper fire prevention skills. Within 30-days of moving into a house on JBLM, service members are required to attend the fire safety-training course here.
“In virtually every one of these fires in family housing, the sponsor did not attend the mandatory training,” Lane said. “We believe if we can get these people in, we can provide that ounce of prevention that turns into a pound of cure.”
The hour-long class, every Tuesday and Thursday at 1 p.m., is open to everyone, not just service members. Lane said by talking to everyone living on the base, the fire department is convinced it can stop the trend of kitchen fires.
“In the class, we go over everything from 911 and the difference from calling on a cell phone and a landline and what agencies that would go through,” Lane said. “We talk about preventative measures in the kitchen, like not leaving the stove unattended while cooking. We talk about the dryer keeping it clean so the lint doesn’t ignite.”
In addition to dryers and kitchen safety, Lane said they discuss extension cord safety, storing flammable liquids, and checking and maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Even though the class covers many fire hazards, fire prevention in the kitchen is emphasized the most. Ed Chavez, a fire inspector here, said planning and pre-positioning things in the kitchen is one of the best ways to prevent a kitchen fire.
“Fire prevention takes place long before you actually start cooking,” Chavez said. “You look and see how your kitchen’s set up, where everything is and making sure flammable items are kept away from the stove. Prevention goes far beyond ‘if I have a fire this is what I do.’”
Lane said the best way for service members to fight a fire is to prevent it from ever happening. Never leaving food unattended while cooking and plan ahead before turning on the stove.
“Fire fighting is not what we want people to do,” Lane said. “We want them to get out, stay out and call the fire department. Taking the appropriate measures, by preparing themselves to cook, they will reduce the possibility of a fire.”
| Date Taken: | 05.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.11.2015 17:05 |
| Story ID: | 162939 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fire safety in the kitchen, curbing an expensive and potentially deadly trend, by SSG James Bunn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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