Kitchen fires cause thousands of dollars in damage, countless injuries, and even a large number of deaths each year. When you are about to do a kitchen remodel, you’ll want to keep safe kitchen design in mind. Doing so allows you to develop a safety strategy before you work on your remodel. It also can help you decide on the types of materials to choose and even the steps you take after the remodel is complete.
The Stats
The statistics surrounding kitchen fires are sobering. A source for every kind of burn can be found in the kitchen. From 2014–2016, 183,300 fires caused by cooking in residential buildings were reported. Of those, 40 percent of fires were caused by someone leaving cooking equipment unattended. Further, those fires caused an average of 3,800 injuries associated with fire and 195 deaths annually. Avoiding fires in the kitchen can be a matter of practicality. In other words, you want to take steps to prevent fires from happening.
How to Do It
To have a safe kitchen design start by choosing the right kinds of materials and layout design, as well as the right kind of cooking equipment. Always try to prevent kitchen fires before they start. First, consider using materials, like tile, stone or brick as a backsplash. These materials are fire-resistant. It also makes a stunning backdrop for the stove area, a place where fires are likely to break out. Finally, make sure that you’ve created safe design. Keep flammable materials a safe distance from any source of flame or heat. Build in a place for a fire extinguisher and store lids to pots and pans in a handy area near where a grease fire may break out.
After the Remodel is Done
When you know what kinds of fires you might experience in the kitchen and the ways to put them out it becomes easier for you to make a safety plan for your kitchen. For example, fighting a fire caused by grease requires different care than a fire caused by an electrical short. Make sure that you install a fire extinguisher in your newly remodeled kitchen. This device will allow you to put out electrical fires, a leading cause of kitchen fires as you may recall. A fire extinguisher also works on large grease fires. Finally, be sure to review the types of fires that are common in the kitchen and the ways to put them out. Doing this ahead of time could save your home and possibly your life.
Kitchen fires can cause thousands of dollars in damage and are a leading cause of injury and death. When you remodel your kitchen, this fact should be at the forefront of your mind, as should a plan for making your newly remodeled kitchen safer. If you take this step, you stand a better chance of keeping yourself and your family safe in the event of a fire. You also stand a better chance of preventing fires from happening in the first place.
