PrepareLA » Be informed

Cooking Fires: A Recipe for Disaster

Whitley Donsereaux — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:15:01 +0000

Cooking fires remain the leading cause of all home fires in the United States, which is unfortunate because they are also the most preventable. Every year, over 3,500 Americans die in fires and more than 18,000 suffer from fire-related injuries. While some accidents are inevitable, many can be averted. The next time you cook, follow these simple instructions, they can save both your home and your family from fire:

Pay attention while cooking. You should always be 100% alert while operating the stove. If you feel sleepy or drowsy, you should not cook. Also, remember you should never leave the kitchen while the stove is on. When using the oven, be sure to set a timer and check on food items frequently. Unattended cooking is the #1 cause of fires in the kitchen. If you need to step away, have someone else look after your dish. If no one is around, simply turn the stove off and start it back up when you return.

Keep flammable items away from the stove! Though those oversized sleeves may be all the rage in Milan, they are not appropriate for the kitchen. The only items that should be near the stove are your pots and pans. Remember to keep spoons, towels, pot holders, packaging, and clothing a safe distance away from the cooktop.

Prepare your kitchen environment before cooking. This includes cleaning surfaces and cookware before using them. A clean cooking area is not only important for your health, but for your safety as well, because oily residues and left over food particles can easily become flammable or cause burning. Also, be sure not to have children or pets sit on the countertops near the stove. Activity on the counter can easily lead to items being knocked over and caused to ignite. Every year thousands of children are injured in the kitchen. Therefore, for everyone’s safety, we recommend that children are kept at least 3 feet away from cooking equipment.

Practicing good habits will help you and your family get into a routine of safe cooking. A great way to get started is by turning off appliances immediately after using them. On busy mornings, it’s easy to leave the coffee pot on or forget to unplug the toaster oven, so get into the habit of turning off cooking equipment as soon possible. Another good habit is turning pot handles inward, especially if you have children or pets. These simple steps can go a long way when it comes to preventing fires and keeping your family safe.

Take three steps to disaster preparedness

lisaklink — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:49:11 +0000

Get prepared for possible disasters and other emergencies. Natural or human-caused disasters can strike suddenly, anytime and anywhere. There are three actions everyone can take that can help make a difference.

Below are 3 Actions you should take to be prepared in emergencies.

Get a Kit.

Have at least three days of supplies in an easy to carry evacuation kit with additional supplies on hand. Remember to check your kit and replace the stock every six months.

Your kit should include:

Map
Food
Flashlight
Medications
Radio
Tools
Personal items
Sanitary supplies
Money
Contact information
Pet supplies

For a detailed list of items you should include in your disaster kit, click here to download and print a checklist

Store your disaster supplies in sturdy yet easy-to-carry containers, in a place that is easily accessible. Keep a smaller version of the kit in your vehicle. If you become stranded or are not able to return home, having some items with you will help you be more comfortable until help arrives.

Make a Plan.

Planning ahead will help you have the best possible response to disaster.

Talk. Discuss with your family the disasters that can happen where you live. Establish responsibilities for each member of your household and plan to work together as a team. Designate alternates in case someone is absent. If a family member is in the military, also plan for how you would respond if they are deployed. Include the local military base resources that may be available.

Plan. Choose two places to meet after a disaster:

Right outside your home, in case of a sudden emergency, such as a fire.
Outside your neighborhood, in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate your neighborhood.

Learn. Each adult in your household should learn how and when to turn off utilities such as electricity, water and gas. Ask your local fire department to show you how to use a fire extinguisher.

Tell everyone in the household where emergency information and supplies are kept. Make copies of the information for everyone to carry with them. Keep the information updated.

Practice evacuating your home twice a year. Drive your planned evacuation route and plot alternate routes on a map in case main roads are impassable or gridlocked.

Include your pets. If you must evacuate, take your animals with you. If it is not safe for you to remain, it is not safe for them.

Be Informed.

Know what may happen and how you can help.

Learn what disasters or emergencies may occur where you live, work and play.

Identify how local authorities will notify you during a disaster and how you will get important information.

Learn what you can do to prepare for disasters by contacting your local Red Cross chapter to ask about first aid, CPR and disaster training.

Share what you have learned with your family, household and neighbors and encourage them to be informed too.

What’s in your wallet? Be sure to include an American Red Cross Emergency Contact Card. (Download and print a contact card)

Join other members of your community through the American Red Cross in taking these first steps. You never know how many people your actions will affect, how many lives you might change.

Prepare yourself. Prepare Others.

Hilary Anderson — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:21:08 +0000

PrepareLA+ is a community-driven awareness campaign that aims to get residents throughout the Los Angeles Region prepared for a disaster. We encourage you to take simple steps that can help both you and your family in the event of an emergency and to go even further by passing them along to others.

What YOU can do:

What you can do for OTHERS:

Get Trained

The Red Cross offers hundreds of courses a year to provide volunteers and members of our community with training to allow them to better serve as disaster responders, first aid/CPR and preparedness educators, and citizens of a global humanitarian movement.

Volunteer

Volunteers are the heart of the American Red Cross and we’d like you to join us. We depend on over 1.4 million volunteers nationwide and hundreds in the Los Angeles area to carry out our mission as the world’s leading humanitarian relief agency.

As a Red Cross volunteer, you can help people displaced by disaster, or go into schools and show children how to prepare for a fire. You can teach CPR and First Aid, or go out into the community spreading the Red Cross mission. Most of all, Red Cross volunteers help save lives… and what could be more fulfilling than that?

Be Red Cross Ready – Get a Kit. Make a Plan. Be Informed.

Robert Cooper — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:20:02 +0000

Get prepared for possible disasters and other emergencies. Natural or human-caused disasters can strike suddenly, at anytime and anywhere. There are three actions everyone can take that can help make a difference.