Central County Fire Department is committed to educating the public in simple ways to stay safe. We offer a variety of programs to educate our communities. Review the safety tips below for more information on how you can be fire smart. Fire Safety information also available in other languages.
Fire Prevention Month – Theme for October 2020: “Serve up Fire Safety in the Kitchen”
Every October, Central County Fire Department honors National Fire Prevention Week throughout the entire month. Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire – the tragic October 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. Fire Departments all over the United States use this month to teach the community how to be fire safe. Each year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) designates a campaign theme.
Key messages around this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen” will include the following:
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires, with approximately two-thirds of cooking fires starting from the ignition of food or other cooking materials
- Keep a close eye on what you’re cooking; never leave cooking unattended
- Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — at least three feet away from your stovetop.
- Always keep a lid close by in case a grease fire starts when frying, so that you can slide the lid over the pan and smother the flame
- Be on alert. If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
For more information about Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme, “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen,” visit fpw.org.
Firefighters Say: Close Before You Doze!
Monthly Fire Safety Newsletter:
Fire Safety Planning
Summer Fire Safety Tips: BBQ safety
- July is the peak month for grill fires (18%), including both structure, outdoor or unclassified fires, followed by June (15%), May (13%) and August (12%).
- In 2014-2018, an average of 19,700 patients per year went to emergency rooms because of injuries involving grills.** Nearly half (9,500 or 48%) of the injuries were thermal burns, including both burns from fire and from contact with hot objects; 5,200 thermal burns, per year,were caused by such contact or other non-fire events.
- Children under five accounted for an average of 2,000 or 39%, of the contact-type burns per year. These burns typically occurred when someone, often a child, bumped into, touched or fell on the grill, grill part or hot coals.
- Gas grills were involved in an average of 8,900 home fires per year, including 3,900 structure fires and 4,900 outdoor fires annually. Leaks or breaks were primarily a problem with gas grills. Ten percent of gas grill structure fires and 22% of outside gas grill fires were caused by leaks or breaks.
- Charcoal or other solid-fueled grills were involved in 1,300 home fires per year, including 600 structure fires and 600 outside fires annually.
For more grilling safety tips, visit: https://www.nfpa.org//-/media/Files/Public-Education/Resources/Safety-tip-sheets/Grilling_safety_Tips.pdf
Source: NFPA’s Applied Research
* Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA)
**Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, queried in April 2016
Fire Extinguisher Training
Central County Fire Department provides complimentary fire extinguisher training to any business or school within Burlingame or Hillsborough or Millbrae. Requests shall be made at least 2 weeks in advance and will only be approved under specific conditions. Please contact us at 650-558-7600 for more information.
Event Request for Public Education (Please select correct event name on the form)
Fire Safety Tip Sheets
Preparing for the Heating Season