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Chuck the chip pan!

From the Cotswold Journal, first published Friday 8th Feb 2008.

COTWOLDS residents are being urged to chuck out their chip pans in a bid to cut down the number of kitchen fires.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service has appealed to people to be more careful in the kitchen as part of its support for National Chip Week, which runs until next Sunday.

According to Communities and Local Government Fire Statistics, the kitchen is the main room where accidental fires occur and in 2005 30,512 kitchen fires were reported.

Gloucestershire Chief Fire Officer Terry Standing said: "We are calling on all county residents to re-think how they cook their chips.

"Rather than using chip pans, which can be dangerous, we want people to consider healthier, safer alternatives like oven chips.

"Chip pans can cause fatal fires - for a far safer chip we say banish the chip pan and don't take the risk."

The fire service is urging people to switch to "safer", lower fat oven chips, microwave chips or to buy them from their local chippy rather than cook them at home.

Those who insist on frying their chips should use an electric deep fryer, says the fire service and for those who insist on sticking with the traditional chip pan, the fire service has issued safety tips to follow all year round.

These include: don't overfill a chip pan; don't cook after drinking alcohol; don't take risks tackling a fire; don't throw water on a chip pan fire; have an escape route and get a smoke alarm and test it weekly.

For further advice on fire safety visit www.firekills.gov.uk or contact your local Community Fire Station.

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