Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s cooking campaign ‘Recipe for Disaster’ is urging people not to drink and cook.
Highlighting the dangers of cooking under the influence of alcohol, a video launched today shows a young man coming home after a
night out drinking. He starts to cook some bacon and then goes through to another room and falls asleep leaving the frying pan to catch fire.
Director of Prevent and Protect Glynn Luznyj said: “Being intoxicated and trying to cook can be very dangerous and has proved fatal for people in the past. For a lot of people going out for a few drinks and then cooking something to eat is a regular thing. However, alcohol can make you drowsy and, all too often we have been called to a fire where the resident has been drinking started to cook something and fallen asleep meaning the pan has been left unattended and started a fire. The lucky ones just end up burning their home down; the unlucky ones never wake up again.
“If you’ve been drinking and you’re hungry we recommend you get a takeaway or fast food of some sort or you make yourself a sandwich or grab something cold when you get home. That fry up may seem like a good idea at the time but it’s really not worth the risk. If you fall asleep and the pan catches fire, it may not be the flames that get you but the smoke will. Mixing cooking with alcohol consumption is a Recipe for Disaster.”
Cooking fires are the main cause of accidental dwelling fires and in the six months running up to December 2018 accounted for 27 per cent of that type of fire across the Service. The month-long ‘Recipe for Disaster ‘cooking safety campaign has a different theme each week with last week’s being ‘distraction’ and next week’s will be dirty grills.
The video will be posted on social media and Youtube along with lots of ‘methods’ of keeping safe while cooking The campaign is supported by radio and poster advertising as well as safety messages printed on ‘recipe ‘cards which will be distributed locally by Community Safety Officers. .
More information can found on the Service’s website https://www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk/your-safety/safety-at-home/cooking-safety/ or by ringing the Community Advice Team on 0800 0241 999
