Sheldon, Iowa — According to the National Fire Protection Association — or NFPA — this is Fire Prevention Week.
Did you know that Fire Prevention Week is this week in October every year because of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871? The fire started on October 8th, 1871. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country.
Locally, Sheldon Fire Company Chief Brad Hindt says there will be an open house at the Sheldon Fire Station on Thursday.
Hindt says Fire Prevention Week is a great time to do safety checks and test your plans.
This year the focus of Fire Prevention Week is cooking safety. The NFPA gives us some tips for preventing fires in the kitchen. They say stay in the kitchen while you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, they say check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
And keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.
Click here for a cooking fire safety tip sheet.
Click here for a fire safety tip sheet about turkey fryers, air fryers, pressure cookers and more.
