National Chip Week begins on 20 February and whilst enjoying the nation’s favourite, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service is urging chip lovers to reduce the chance of having a fire in their home by throwing away their chip pan.
In the last twelve months the Service has attended 202 cooking related fires, 49 of which were caused by chip pans.
Pete Baron, from Humberside Fire and Rescue said:
“I urge residents not to use traditional chip pans as they can very quickly over heat and catch fire. I would ask people to use oven chips or a deep fat fryer instead; they are much safer because they are thermostatically controlled which means they shouldn’t overheat.”
“This is one simple switch residents can make to keep them and their family safer from fire. It is still very important that people remain vigilant whist cooking and never leave cooking unattended.” Pete added.
Other cooking safety tips are:
• Don’t leave pans unattended. Take them off the heat if you have to leave the room. Fire starts when your attention stops.
• Keep the oven, hob and grill clean. A build-up of fat and grease can easily catch fire.
• Don’t use matches or lighters to light gas cookers. Spark devices are safer.
• Turn saucepan handles so they don’t stick out from the hob.
• Keep electrical leads, tea towels and cloths away from the cooker.
• Take care if you are wearing loose clothing, it can easily catch fire.
