Cooking is the major cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Portland Fire & Rescue encourages citizens to understand how fire-safe behaviors can vastly reduce the risks of injuries, deaths, and property damage.

Start with the kitchen safety quiz below and see how many questions you can answer correctly. The answers can be found at the end of the quiz.

For additional kitchen safety tips, click here! 

1. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is:

1. burnt toast.
2. unattended cooking.
3. oven fires.
4. microwave oven fires

2. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food, you should:

1. turn the stove down low.
2. leave the food cooking as is.
3. turn off the stove.
4. cover the food with aluminum foil.

3. If you are simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food:

1. check it regularly, and stay in the home.
2. it is safe to run outside and get your mail.
3. stay in the kitchen and watch the stove.
4. it is safe to leave the home for an hour.

4. When young children are present:

1. use the stove's front burners so you can reach them faster.
2. use the stove's back burners.
3. have children sit quietly on the floor so they can't reach the stove.
4. have children stand behind you when you are using the stove.

5. Spilled food and grease from burners, stove tops and oven should be:

1. cleaned up to prevent a fire.
2. kept to a minimum.
3. covered with paper towels to soak up the grease and food.
4. left to harden.

6. If a small grease fire starts in a pan:

1. use baking powder to put the fire out.
2. smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan (make sure you are wearing an oven mitt). Turn off the burner.
3. pour water on the fire.
4. move the pan to the sink and run water over it.

7. When heating food in the microwave.

1. use any container that can fit in the microwave.
2. cover the container with aluminum foil to prevent spills.
3. use only microwave-safe containers or dishes to heat food.
4. avoid wearing clothes with loose sleeves.

8. If you have a fire in your microwave:

1. turn it off immediately and open the door.
2. turn it off immediately and keep the door closed.
3. open the door and attempt to put out of the fire.
4. get a lid from a pot or pan to cover the fire.

9. Keep kids away from cooking areas by enforcing a "kid-free zone" of:

1. 3 feet around the stove.
2. 1 foot around the stove.
3. 2 feet around the stove.
4. 1 foot to the right or left of the stove.

10. You should treat a burn with cool water for:

1. 7 to 10 minutes.
2. 5 to 7 minutes.
3. 3 to 5 minutes.
4. cool water isn't good for a burn.

Answers:

1. B - unattended cooking
2. C - turn off the stove
3. A - check it regularly, and stay in the home
4. B - use the stove's back burners
5. A - cleaned up to prevent a fire
6. B - smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan
7. C - use only microwave-safe containers or dishes to heat food
8. B - keep the door closed
9. A - 3 feet around the stove
10. C - 3 to 5 minutes

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   October 17, 2011 

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