Firefighters and celebrity chefs join forces to call on residents to take extra care in the kitchen

Famous faces from the world of food and Greater Manchester firefighters are joining forces to call on residents to take extra care in the kitchen ahead of what is expected to be a gloomy weekend.  

Michelin-starred chef Aiden Byrne and local favourite Mike Harrison, have both filmed videos offering residents top tips to stay safe while in the kitchen and urging them to be careful when cooking.

Aiden said: “Admittedly at the moment I’m really enjoying being at home with my family and cooking on a daily basis in my home kitchen.

“Cooking at home does come with its own hazards it is an extremely dangerous place to be, especially when you are being distracted by everyday events that happen at home.

“The kitchen at home is surrounded by a multitude of potential hazards, I just ask you to be extra vigilant and more careful. That goes for you as well children, if mummy or daddy are cooking at home please be conscious of the fact that it is quite a dangerous environment.”

With bad weather expected over the weekend and residents following Government guidance to stay at home, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is expecting more people to spend their time in the kitchen cooking and baking.

Firefighters are urging people to think carefully when cooking with children, baking cakes and cooking meals to avoid any near misses or worse, a house fire.

GMFRS Head of Prevention Area Manager Paul Fearnhead said: “We saw all too clearly on national television this week how easy it is for a fire to start in the kitchen when a tea towel caught fire in chef John Torode’s kitchen live on This Morning. This goes to show that we all have to be careful in the kitchen, whether you are a celebrity chef or cooking dinner for your family.

“While we all do the right thing and stay at home – and we absolutely support and encourage that – more people are cooking at home and enjoying baking at the moment so I just want to urge people to make sure they are doing so safely.

“More than half of accidental fires in the home start in the kitchen so it is really important to follow the safety advice on the GMFRS website and please, never leave cooking unattended, even for a short period of time. I know it can be easy to get distracted when cooking with lots of people in the house so please take extra precautions at this time.”

Since the Coronavirus pandemic has left the majority of the population spending the more time at home the time cooking related incidents occur in the home has changed. Statistics show that crews are seeing more kitchen fires occur during typical breakfast, lunch and dinner hours of 9am, 12 noon and 6pm.

Some kitchen fire safety advice includes:

• Never leave cooking unattended
• Keep electrical leads, tea towels and cloths away from the cooker
• Take care if you are wearing loose clothing whilst cooking with gas - this can easily catch fire
• Keep electrical leads and appliances away from water
• Remember any type of pan can catch fire - this includes a wok, a grill or a frying pan
• Check the toaster is clean and away from curtains and kitchen rolls
• Never fill a pan more than one-third full of oil. If the oil starts to smoke, it's too hot - turn off the heat and leave it to cool down
• Make sure you have a working smoke alarm and test it once a week

Over the coming days more chefs will be sharing their messages on keeping safe in the kitchen.

For more cooking fire safety advice and more general home safety advice please visit our website.

Article Published: 01/05/2020 15:46 PM