October Is An Important Month For Safety In Minnesota

October is almost here, and our focus will be on bringing out our flannel and extra layers, decorating and getting ready for Halloween, and at least starting to strategize for Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

October is also an important month because it is Fire Prevention Month. Hopefully you’ve already got a plan in place for your family should a fire break out where you live, but if not, now’s a good time to put one in place. 

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Fire Marshalls Office offer these reminders for common situations that occur in homes around the state. 

Fires While Cooking 

If you have a grease fire while you’re cooking, here are some important things to remember. First, throwing water on a grease fire creates an explosive response, so don’t do it.  

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You should put a lid or a cookie sheet over the fire and then turn the burner on the stove off. Do not move the pan, leave it in place on the stove.  

Also, try not to let your attention to be drawn away. The most common cause of cooking fires in Minnesota is something happening while you’re not paying attention.  

Fires As A Result Of Smoking 

The Fire Marshalls Office says that careless actions while smoking or not properly discarding of smoking materials are the leading causes of fatal house fires in Minnesota each year. 

Here are things to remember if you are a smoker on how to best protect yourself, your family and your home from a fire starting because of a smoking incident. 

• Use a deep, sturdy ashtray and make sure it’s not near anything that can catch on fire. 

• Have a safe, designated area to put out smoking materials in. Do not throw cigarette butts into areas of vegetation like mulch, bushes, potted plants, leaves, peat moss, or anything else that could ignite from contact.   

• Douse your butts with water or have some sand where you can put those butts in. Do not throw butts into the trashcan.  

Checking Your Smoke Detectors 

You should test your smoke detectors monthly and replace the batteries once per year. If your smoke detector is 10 years old or older, it’s time for a new one.  

Some of these things may sound like obvious steps to you, but with as busy as we all are, having reminders of how to keep our families safer is always needed.