Monroe County Fire Rescue and Sparky the Fire Dog joined students at Burton Memorial Child Development Center, Big Pine Academy, and Sugarloaf School this week. MARY MOELLER/Monroe County Fire Rescue

MONROE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE AND SPARKY THE FIRE DOG VISIT SCHOOLS FOR FIRE PREVENTION WEEK AND TEACH CHILDREN ‘COOKING SAFETY STARTS WITH YOU’ 

MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County Fire Rescue is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA),  the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years, to promote this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Cooking Safety Starts with YOU!” The campaign works to educate everyone about necessary actions to keep themselves and those around them safe from fire.

Monroe County Fire Rescue conducted outreach programs for Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 8-14, in nine schools and daycares in Monroe County Fire Rescue’s jurisdiction to teach children about cooking safety where Sparky the Fire Dog and local firefighters gave fire truck tours and taught children fire prevention and safety tips.

“We have received a wonderful response during this year’s Fire Prevention Week,” said Monroe County Fire Rescue Acting Fire Marshal Craig Marston. “We hope that each person we contacted this week will take something back to keep them safer in the kitchen and around fires.”

According to NFPA, The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.

Cooking Safety Tips

  • Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen, even for a short time, turn off the stove.
  • Keep a 3-foot kid-free zone around your cooking area.
  • If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Do not move the pan. To keep the fire from restarting, leave the lid on until the pan is completely cool.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week, visit www.fpw.org.

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