I was contacted recently by Kidde (maker of smoke and carbon dioxide detectors, and fire extinguishers) to share a favorite holiday recipe or a fire safety story. Please note, this post is happening because Kidde and I have partnered together to bring you this story. This story and my feelings about making your kitchen and home a place that is safe and prepared for fires are my own.
I have lots of great holiday recipes, but thankfully I only have one real THERE’S A FIRE IN THE KITCHEN story.
Oh wait. I have two. Did you know if you don’t keep an eye on a 9×13 of large marshmallows under the broiler, they can make quite the fire in your oven? Just tuck that in for reference and recall when you find yourself broiling a 9×13 of large marshmallows.
HOW ABOUT A RECIPE?!
This one includes marshmallows, ironically.
My kids were just telling me this morning before school that we really, really REALLY need to make our Rocky Roads dessert bars. So… there’s that recipe. But I must share a warning: if you choose to make them, you will forever make them. They will be a favorite, not only for holidays, but any occasion. But they are definitely most delicious during the holidays and shared with loved ones.
But how about that fire-in-my-kitchen story?
My son was 13 at the time. It was during the day. And he was home alone.
I was chaperoning a non-school day field trip with my older daughter. Little Lucy was my back-up chaperone. She’s the one who keeps her eye on ME on field trips.
While I was busy listening to accomplished authors share their wisdom with hopeful young authors, my son was putting out a toaster fire at home.
Home alone.
And good sized fire.
I got a call from a panicked, but relieved kid… “Mom! The toaster caught on fire! It was shooting flames! But I unplugged it and put it outside!”
As glad as I was that he was able to solve the issue without harming himself – I felt terrrrrrrible.
I mean… SHOOTING FLAMES.
Shooting flames from a toaster… shooting flames from a building – it’s still FLAMES THAT ARE SHOOTING.
THE LESSON: We were not prepared to safely deal with kitchen fires.
No fire extinguisher.
Friends… EVERY kitchen should have a fire extinguisher.
This could have happened when everyone was home and even with an adult there – SHOOTING FLAMES.
That’s just not a recipe for safety.
But Kidde has shared with me (so I get to share with YOU) their recipe for safety! And you should share this recipe too!
Fire safety in the home isn’t just about a having a kitchen fire extinguisher handy… it’s also about healthy smoke detectors, etc…
My child is old enough and responsible enough to stay home alone, and even to watch his younger sisters… but even an adult should have the best safety tools available in a crisis. Did you know that cooking is the number one cause of home fires and injuries, and that the winter months are the deadliest season for home fires?
A recent Kidde survey revealed nearly five times as many Americans know the shelf life of a Twinkie than know the recommended operating life of a smoke alarm.
Eeek? Right?
I am so thankful to Kidde for approaching me about this subject. I have had this topic on my list for months. I wanted to share OUR story. I never thought about it until it happened to us.
But I am not just stoppping at getting your mind thinking about how to help make your home fire safe…One lucky reader will win their very own fire extinguisher from Kidde! Check out the Rafflecopter widget below for all entry details. Contest ends 11:59 PST, 12/19/2014. Open to US residents only. 18 and over only.
