Buffalo, New York - Mayor Byron W. Brown and Fire Commissioner William Renaldo joined City residents on Tuesday, October 3rd for a cooking safety demonstration by Buffalo Firefighters at the first of five Buffalo Fire House Open Houses, scheduled to take place this week. “Cooking Safety Starts With You” is the theme of this year’s s Fire Prevention Month, a campaign focused on educating everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safer when cooking. Cooking is one of the leading causes of reported home fires and home fire injuries.
Commissioner Renaldo stated, “As part of Fire Prevention Month this year, the Buffalo Fire Department would like to remind the community to remain vigilant in the kitchen. Cooking injuries continue to be one of the leading causes of injury in the United States. We look forward to meeting residents in person at our upcoming Fire House Open Houses to share a few more safety tips to keep people safe in the kitchen.”
At this year’s Fire House Open Houses in Buffalo, firefighters will be educating everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safer when cooking.
The next round of Fire House Open Houses in Buffalo are listed below.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2023
ENGINE 36 / 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM 860 Hertel Avenue
ENGINE 4 / 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM 939 Abbott Road & Hollywood
ENGINE 21 / 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM 1229 Jefferson Avenue & Kingsley
ENGINE 23 / 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM 3226 Bailey Avenue
The Buffalo Fire Department encourages all City residents to embrace the 2023 Fire Prevention Week theme. Following are key messages behind this year’s “Cooking Safety Starts With You”.
- Always keep a close eye on what you’re cooking. For foods with longer cooking times, such as those that are simmering or baking, set a timer to help monitor them carefully.
- Clear the cooking area of combustible items and keep anything that can burn, such as dish towels, oven mitts, food packaging, and paper towels.
- Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove.
- Keep a lid nearby when cooking.
- If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner.
- Create a “kid and pet free zone” of at least three feet around the cooking area and anywhere else hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
In addition, at each of the Fire House Open Houses, City staff will be on hand to assist residents with signing up for BUFFALERT, the City’s easy-to-use emergency text alert system. BUFFALERT enables users the opportunity to get real time text updates about severe weather events, public safety issues, and serious traffic incidents. People can sign up in seconds for this possibly life-saving alert by texting their zip code to 38276.
To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities in Buffalo, go to www.buffalony.gov or contact the Buffalo Fire Departments Fire Prevention Bureau at (716) 851- 5333 extension 752.