Number of kitchen fires involving over 65s 'remains too high'
Fire crews want to reduce the number of cooking fires involving the over 65s which they attend - and have started a new roadshow
Across Devon and Somerset concern is growing about the number of over 65s being taken to hospital because of burns caused by kitchen fires.
Devon and Somerset's fire crews now attend 250 cooking-related fires a year, where at least one occupant is recorded as 'above pensionable age'.
A spokesperson for the fire service said: "More than half of all the fires that we attend start in the kitchen. Whilst everyone who cooks is at risk of cooking fires, fire statistics tell us that older people are more vulnerable to the risks
"Around three-quarters of the domestic fires in households with over 65s are started by cooking. Unfortunately, we also see more injuries from cooking fires and more hospitalised injuries in people aged over 65.
"We know that distraction is a major cause of cooking fires. It could be getting distracted by TV, conversations, or animals, or it could be taking a nap, or side effects of medication causing the person to forget about the cooking.
"And for over 65s who are likely to have a house full of items of sentimental value and memories, even a small fire could have devastating consequences."
Ros Clarke, Group Manager for Prevention added: “We want to reduce the risk of cooking fires for our most vulnerable older residents which is why as part of our ‘recipe for danger’ campaign we are encouraging a few simple steps to safer cooking.
“Even a small fire can cause you to lose decades of memories in just a few seconds. I have been to many fires in my career which started with distraction or by having clutter around the hob. You can reduce the risk of cooking fire due to distraction by using a cooking timer, as well as keeping the cooking area tidy.
“We hope these are easy things to change to help our older generation be safer in their homes when cooking.”
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