Sunday, March 2, 2008

Fire Safety

I never realized that a wet dishcloth can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan! This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire ... oil in a frying pan. Read the following introduction, then watch the show ... It's a real eye-opener!! At the Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a Deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10 foot pole toss water onto the grease fire. The results got the attention of the students.The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty-foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fireball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room. Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite. This is a powerful message----watch the video and don't forget what you see.

The above post entry is an email I got from my friend who is a fire fighter and would like to educate as many people as possible about how to control a grease fire in your kitchen. I hope you are able to view the video with your connection. xoxo~Elaine

2 comments:

this is my patch said...

People definitely need educating of this everyday hazard, and to look at that poor lady at the end, that should be a stark reminder. How a relatively small fire can quickly spread is alarming, especially when water is added to the equation. I haven't got a chip pan or deep fat fryer for this very reason. I hope others see this video, it may save first and foremost their lives, if not there homes in the future. x

Kitty said...

We were taught about the wet teatowel thing at school. I've used it once in my life - and jolly pleased I was to know about it too - I'm sure it saved a fire.

x