October is the perfect time to spark up important conversations about fire safety. During this year’s Fire Prevention Week – October 8 through October 14  – Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services (MFES) is encouraging residents to take some time to learn how to protect themselves and others from all too common kitchen fires.

Although fires can take place anywhere, the kitchen is a hot spot. From 2018 to 2022, 194 cooking-related fires caused damage to homes across Mississauga. After participating in the province’s first-ever Test Your Smoke Alarm Day in September, the City is now urging residents to stay safe in the kitchen. This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is clear: cooking safety starts with you, pay attention to fire prevention.

To help spread awareness and safety information, the City’s Fire Prevention website has important event and safety information.

Highlights include:

Serving up safety

Everyone can learn something new during Fire Prevention Week – whether you are just learning to cook or are already an expert. Check out the wide-range of multicultural cooking videos from local restaurants, focused on how to make a delicious meal safely in the kitchen.

Seafood Spaghetti – Chief Rizzi with Celebrity Chef Massimo Capra from Capra’s Kitchen

Dosa – Hindi-Urdu

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry – Mandarin

Fatayer – Arabic

Kielbassa and Potatoes – Polish

Cooking safety tips

Safety always comes first and the MFES team has important reminders for all residents, including:

• If you are cooking and have to leave for any reason, turn off the stove or heat source.  If you are baking, use a timer to remind you when the meal is finished in the oven.
• Don’t cook when you’re sleepy, drowsy from medication or have consumed alcohol. You may forget to turn off the stove.

Keep things that can catch fire away from the stove

• Cleanliness matters. Keep the stovetop, burners and the oven clean.
• Keep potholders, oven mitts, paper or plastic bags, boxes and curtains away from your stove.
• Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when you cook. Loose-fitting sleeves can catch fire.

Keep children and pets away from the cooking area to avoid burns

• Create a “kid-free zone” of at least three feet (approximately 1 metre) around the stove.
• Keep hot food and liquids away from the edges of tables and counters.
• Turn the pot and panhandles inward to avoid knocking them over.

If you have a grease fire

• Always use an oven mitt to protect your hands and keep a lid nearby.
• If you have a pan or pot fire, slide the lid over it to smother the flames. If you don’t have a lid, use a cookie tray and turn off the stove.
• Never carry a flaming pot as the fire could spread and you can burn yourself.
• Never throw water or flour on a grease fire.
• If you have an oven or microwave fire, keep the door closed and turn off or unplug the appliance.
• When in doubt, just get out and stay out. Call 9-1-1 using a mobile phone or a neighbour’s phone from a safe place.

Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services in the Community

In addition to hosting community events, Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services has also launched a trading card this month! Trading cards are a fun way for families or fire safety enthusiasts to keep a piece of MFES in their pockets or at home. Each card highlights a different emergency vehicle that has helped keep our City safe.