banner

banner

Monday, February 11, 2013

THE DANGER OF GREASE FIRES


Yesterday I saw a friend I haven’t seen in a while and was shocked to see her in a wheelchair. She told me she had gotten burned by fire and hot oil, and had just gotten back from Singapore after two weeks in the hospital and two surgeries that involved taking skin grafts from her back. For the next year, she cannot be exposed to direct light, neither from the sun, nor from lamps... and she’s only in her 20’s.

My dear friend had suffered from the terrible effects of not knowing what to do when faced with a grease fire.  Since we at Centrepoint Healthcare believe that in education as a means of prevention, here’s one way to keep yourself out of the hospital. Consider this your apple for the day.

GREASE FIRES
Grease fires are extremely dangerous because the way to handle it is not the way we think normal fires should be handled.

What is a grease fire?
A grease fire occurs when your cooking oil becomes too hot. When heating, oil first starts to boil, then start smoking, and finally catch on fire. In the case of my friend she was making fried chicken when the oil caught on fire.

If you are cooking something and your oil starts to smoke, turn off the flame immediately or move the pan away from the heat source.

DO NOT THROW WATER ON A GREASE FIRE! The water will violently vaporize, spraying burning grease everywhere including your skin. This is the number one mistake many people make with a grease fire (my friend included).

What to do if a grease fire happens?  
  • Turn off the heat
  • Do NOT move the pot. Throwing the pot outside might seem logical in the frenzy of the moment, but moving the pot might splash burning oil on you, your home, and anything outside. 
  • Cover the pan/pot completely with a metal lid. Do not use a  glass lid, the heat will shatter the glass. If you cannot find a metal lid use a baking tray. Make sure when you do this you’re wearing gloves to protect yourself.
What other options do you have to kill a grease fire? 
  • Baking soda. If the fire is small, you can use baking soda, but you will need a LOT so this may not be the best alternative. ** Do not use other powdery or baking substances such as flour or even baking powder. These are not substitutes and can have a very adverse reaction to the fire.
  • A fire extinguisher. This is your last resort, as fire extinguishers will contaminate your kitchen. Still, it's better than the alternative if the fire is getting out of control.
Watch what happens on Mythbusters when the tiniest (a teaspoon) bit of water is thrown on a grease fire:

and for the scientifically curious – what exactly happens as water is thrown on hot oil?

The Lesson?
Do not leave your cooking unattended. If a grease fire cannot be contained it could spread from your pan and end up burning your kitchen, or worse, your home. 

Please, do yourself a favour and teach your maids, children, and spouse/partners/flatmates how to handle a grease fire properly. It could save you a lot of trouble.

Don’t let your fire go from this...

To this...

 


Written :By Elsie Mullers


No comments:

Post a Comment