Fire Prevention Week kicks off today with the Hammond Fire Department and the Hammond Fire Prevention Bureau reminding local residents that the leading causes of fires in the home begin in the kitchen.

Sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association, the 2008 campaign highlights the importance of fire safety education in the home where 80 percent of U.S. fire deaths occur.

Ronnie Schillace, Hammond Fire Prevention Bureau director, said the department will again work actively to remind residents that the approaching months of December and January are the peak months for home structure fires and deaths.

In 2006, U.S. fire departments responded to almost 400,000 home structure fires, 2,580 of which killed people. Approximately 12,500 fire injuries were reported in those fires, and 65 percent of the deaths occurred in homes with either no smoke alarms or working smoke alarms.

Cooking

According to an NFPA report, more than 38 percent of kitchen fires begin on the stove top when cooking is left unattended.

The report urges people to pay attention to cooking and stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If the person cooking must leave the room for even a short period, turn the stove off.

When simmering, boiling baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home, and use a timer.

Children play a large role in kitchen fires and should be kept three feet away from the stove when cooking. Schillace reminds parents to use the stove’s back burners whenever possible.

The report also reminds people that cooking without fire can still cause burns. Food should be allowed to cool a minute before taking it out of a microwave oven, and an oven mitt should always be used. Microwaved food should be opened slowly to allow hot steam to escape from containers.

Smoking

Smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths in the U.S. with roughly 700-900 deaths per year, said the report.

The most common items first ignited in home smoking fire deaths are upholstered furniture and mattresses or bedding.

The report advises smokers to designate a smoking area outside the home, provide smokers with deep, sturdy ashtrays, keep smoking material away from anything that can burn, like mattresses, bedding and upholstered furniture, and to choose fire-safe cigarettes.

Heating

Keep space heaters at least three-feet from people and from anything that can burn, such as curtains and bedding. Space heaters should be turned off when going leaving the room.

Heating equipment should be professionally inspected and serviced every year, and having the chimney cleaned and inspected before each heating season is a must., Schillace said.

Electrical

According to the report, electrical distribution and lighting equipment is involved in 20,800 home structure fires per year, averaging 330 fire deaths.

Electrical distribution and lighting equipment includes fixed wiring, transformers, meters or meter boxes, power switch gear, switches, receptacles and outlets, cords and plugs, and lighting equipment.

People should remember to replace or repair loose or frayed cords on all electrical devices, avoid overloading receptacles, plug only one high-wattage appliance at a time into a receptacle outlet, and avoid running extension cords across doorways or under carpets.

Arc fault circuit interrupters should be installed to protect electrical outlets.

AFCIs protect against fire by continuously monitoring the electrical current in a circuit and shutting off the circuit when unintended arcing occurs.

Installing ground fault circuit interrupter electrical outlets can also be beneficial in kitchens, bathrooms, outdoor areas, basements, and garages.

GFCIs greatly reduce the risk of shock by shutting off an electrical circuit when the circuit could be a shock hazard, Schillace said.