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Devastating Fire Brings Important Safety Tips

In the aftermath of the devastating home fire in Brooklyn on March 21st that left seven children dead and their mother and sister in critical condition, it’s important to remember how preventable so many of these kinds of tragedies can be. The American Red Cross has determined that every day, approximately seven people die, and 36 are injured in household fires across the nation. Of those statistics, two out of every five home fires began in the kitchen.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has tried to bring the issue of home fire safety to the forefront with educational materials and classes, but “people have a general complacency about fire,” says Lorraine Carli, a spokesperson for the NFPA. No one seems to think it will happen to them. In 2013 alone, 85 percent of all fire deaths in the United States occurred in the home, however, and cooking is the number one cause. The Brooklyn fire is believed to have begun due to a malfunctioning hot plate that was left on overnight in the kitchen. However, firefighters at the scene also noted that there were no working smoke detectors on the home’s first or second floors.

Here are some tips to help prevent kitchen and home fires to share with your household:
• Never leave cooking unattended. In more than 30 percent of kitchen fires, unattended cooking was a factor. If you leave the kitchen, be sure to turn burners off.
• Keep towels, oven mitts, food packaging and anything else that could catch fire away from the stove top, and do not cook in loose-fitting clothing that could get too close to burners or oven heat.
• Check on the food you’re cooking regularly to ensure pan oil isn’t too hot, and use a timer to help monitor food’s progress. Also be sure to keep cooking areas clean and clear of buildup and crumbs that could overheat and catch fire.
• Always maintain working smoke detectors in every level of your home, and ensure that batteries are replaced when needed.

For more information about how you can keep your home and family safe from kitchen and household fires, connect with us today at https://guardianssistg.wpengine.com.

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Did You Know That 29% of Office Fires Are Cooking Fires?

Quill Office Supplies shared a great infographic with GSSI about staying safe in your office.  Sadly, 29 percent of all office fires are due to cooking.  So don’t walk away from the kitchen when you are preparing lunch at work.  Stay safe!

fire-safety-infographic

 

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Cooking Fire Safety on the Menu for Seniors

seniors and cooking safetyBognor Fire Station’s Green Watch helped those over 65 at the UK’s Laburnum Centre, Lyon Street, when the firefighters explained how to reduce the risk of kitchen fires.

According to the Bognor Regis Observer in the UK, “recent figures revealed that around two-thirds of the accidental house fires in West Sussex start in the kitchen, with many caused by careless or unattended cooking.”

As GaurdianSSI always reminds folks, a lapse of concentration can have devastating consequences especially for seniors who have a higher rate of injuries and deaths from cooking fires.

The firefighters covered a range of safety advice including:

. If you are called away take pans off the heat

. Clean toasters, hobs and grill pans regularly to avoid a build-up of crumbs or fat which can easily catch fire

. Keep your cooker top clear and don’t put oven gloves or tea towels down onto a hot cooker after you’ve used them

. Ditch your old chip pan! Consider using a thermostatically controlled deep-fat fryer or swap to oven chips instead

. If you do have a fire in the kitchen, don’t take any risks – get everyone out and dial 999.

. Working smoke alarms really do save lives – make sure you have on each level of your home and test them weekly.

You can find more cooking safety information by visiting www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire.

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Marriage Proposal Ruined by Cooking Fire

The Inquisitor reports that Isaiah Cox popped the marriage question to his girlfriend which also happened to be her birthday.  To celebrate, he wanted to make her special breakfast.  But a nasty grease fire started in the kitchen and the house and proposal went up in smoke.

house fireThe South Jersey Times reports that he heard his son crying and went to check on him. Cox claims he was only gone for a minute but when he returned to the kitchen, the cabinets were on fire. While there was a fire extinguisher, he got confused and forgot to use it.

The South Jersey Times says, “the Millville Fire Chief Kurt Hess notes that the fire took quite some time to finally get under control. The firefighters were dispatched to the home at around 10:15 a.m. and the fire was not under control until 1 p.m.”  Read more here.

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Free Campus Cooking Fire Prevention Seminar

october_temple_fireAttend a free seminar to help reduce cooking fires in your campus community. Presented by Guardian Safety Solutions International, Inc. (GSSI) and Halligan Group, Higher Education Fire and Life Safety Consultants, the seminar will be held at GSSI, 8701 John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 230, Dallas, February 26, 2015. Choose from one time period: 8am to noon or 1 pm to 5 pm.

Attendance at this half-day seminar will allow your campus, community and housing fire prevention team create an effective Cooking Fire Prevention Program for college students on or off campus as well as for residents in your community.

Upon completion participants will:
• Create effective public education cooking fire prevention training.
• Understand technologies that can be used to reduce or eliminate cooking fires.
• Determine the best way to reach different populations in the community.

Every participant will leave the seminar with:
• Cookbook of materials to help create custom cooking fire prevention programs.
• Clear understanding on how to create and deliver a cooking fire prevention public education campaign.
• Lesson plans, customizable posters, and flyers, free high-resolution photos and videos to use on campus and in their community.
• Series of social media messages to reach out to the 18 – 25 year old demographic.
• Network of peers to consult and share information with.

Seating is limited. RSVP to Mike 801-541-3482 or email mikeh@halligangroup.org

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Guardian SSI Details Student Cooking Safety Information at Campus Fire Forum 2014

FIre raging in kitchenDallas – November 5, 2014 – Guardian Safety Solutions International, Inc. (GSSI), the leader in the development and manufacturing of residential range top fire protection systems, will exhibit at the Campus Fire Forum 2014, November 10 – 13, at the Wyndham Hotel, Orlando. Representing more than 4,000 campuses, the Center for Campus Fire Safety is a nonprofit organization devoted to reducing the loss of life from fire at our nation’s campuses.

“Cooking fires cause more than $25 million in damages to college campuses each year. Campus fire safety is one of our top priorities, so we are delighted to demonstrate our ‘Guardian Solution’ range top suppression system that protects against a range top fire before it causes property damage or injuries to employees and students,” said Paul Rouse, Guardian SSI’s administrative officer. “While parents send their kids off to college with safety as a top priority, fear of kitchen fires ranks well below safety concerns about drugs, alcohol, crime and other campus issues.” According to Rouse, college fires should move up to the top of parents’ and university housing concerns since 72 percent of college campus fires are cooking related.

“With many students living in off campus apartments, parents and university officials should know that 60 percent of apartment fires are started by cooking equipment,” said Rouse. “There are so many distractions for young adults in today’s busy world – texting, answering an email, friends come to visit – they begin to cook a meal and easily forget about it. Next thing you know, whoosh, a fire starts consuming the stove, curtains and other flammable material in the kitchen,” he said. The National Fire Protection Association says that cooking causes almost half of all fire fatalities each year, and 20 percent of fire deaths are drug or alcohol related.

“These statistics are the core of our “Guardian Solution,’ or range top suppression system which can be easily installed or retrofitted into new or older student housing,” said Rouse. “The time to protect college students against a range top fire is before it strikes. By simply installing the Guardian, colleges and universities, as well as apartment owners who cater to college kids, can rest at ease knowing that potential cooking fires stand no chance in a Guardian protected kitchen.” See how the Guardian works here.

The Guardian is designed to detect and extinguish cooking fires and at the same time prevents re-ignition. Once it detects heat at a pre-determined temperature, a signal is sent to release the extinguishing agent to suppress the fire and to shut off the gas or electric supply to the stove in order to prevent reigniting.

“Putting the fire out quickly is imperative to minimize damage and injury to students,” Rouse said. “The Guardian system provides that speed and protection.” For more information, contact GSSI at 800-786-2178 or visit www.guardianssi.com. Visit on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GuardianSSI and on Twitter @GuardianSSI.

About GSSI
Protecting families worldwide since 1985, GSSI is the recognized leader in the development and manufacturing of residential range top fire protection systems. GSSI’s mission is to develop and distribute quality safety products that provide customers with peace of mind, while protecting lives and property. See ICC-ES Listing No PMG-1166 at www.icc-es.org\pmg.

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Media Contact:
Susan Tellem, APR, RN, BSN
Tellem Grody PR, Inc.
310.313.3444 x1
Susan@tellemgrodypr.com

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Fire Prevention Week 2014 – Protect Yourself Against Deadly Cooking Fires

It’s Fire Prevention Week October 5 – 11, and this year’s focus is on motivating people to test their smoke alarms each month to make sure they’re working properly. According to Guardian Safety Solution International, Inc., one key place a working smoke alarm is important is in the kitchen. The National Fire Protection Association reports that cooking was involved in 156,400 home fires in 2010 (latest figures available). These fires caused 410 deaths, 5,310 injuries and almost $100 million in direct property damage. Those were the reported fires, but it is estimated that more than 12 million unintentional home cooking fires go unreported and cause 640,000 injuries annually.

“Home owners and apartment dwellers are at most risk for fires because of inattentiveness…the phone rings, you answer an email, the baby cries. There are so many distractions in today’s busy world, it’s easy to start to cook a meal and then forget about it,” says Paul Rouse, GuardianSSI’s administrative officer. “Next thing you know, a fire starts on the stove and quickly spreads to curtains and other flammable material.”

spaghetti on fireIn addition to working smoke detectors and a handy fire extinguisher, Rouse recommends installing the Guardian III Model G300B, UL and ULC listed with a fuel shut-off. The Guardian is designed to detect and extinguish cooking fires and prevent re-ignition in private homes, apartments, senior housing, college campuses, hospitals and other facilities. See how the Guardian works here.

Once it detects heat at a pre-determined temperature, the Guardian sends a signal to release an extinguishing agent that suppresses the fire. Guardian will also shut off the gas or electric supply to the stove in order to prevent reigniting. “It makes sense in this busy world to have as much safety equipment as possible available to prevent or extinguish kitchen fires,” says Rouse.

Protecting families worldwide since 1985, GSSI is the recognized leader in the development and manufacturing of residential range top fire protection systems. GSSI’s mission is to develop and distribute quality safety products that provide customers with peace of mind, while protecting lives and property. For more information, contact GSSI at 800-786-2178 or visit guardianssi.com. Like Guardian on Facebook at GuardianSSI and follow on Twitter @GuardianSSI.

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Media Contact:
Susan Tellem, APR, RN, BSN
Tellem Grody PR, Inc.
310.313.3444 x1
Susan@tellemgrodypr.com

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Fire: It Was the Best of Times, Worst of Times…

lt.kiurskiLt. Tom Kiurski, a 30-year veteran of the fire service, serves the Brighton Area Fire Department in Michigan as an academy instructor.  He writes about  the “Tale of Two Fires” where two families in Warren, Ohio, had cooking fires where 10 adults and children perished in one year. His article in the Livingston County Daily Press and Argus tells a compelling story about how cooking fires can be prevented.

His article begins, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. While those are lines from Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” it also has a lot to do with the tale I will tell you of two families in Ohio.”  Read more by clicking here.

 

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Massive Cooking Fire Fails!

cooking fails

These would be funny if they weren’t so darn scary!  The Huffington Post brings us “Up In Smoke” – some very bad kitchen cooking fire experiences.  Check it out here.

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