A teen died in a late night cooking fire after arriving home after drinking alcohol. The teen, 17 year-old, Alex Lewis, started his meal fell asleep and died from smoke inhalation. His life might have been spared had he not attempted to cook after drinking and if his home had been outfitted with smoke detectors. Unattended cooking is a risk for all young people especially college students in apartments. Parents should consider the Guardian system for putting the fire out quickly to minimize damage and injury.
Teen Dies While Cooking After Drinking
Congratulations to the New York Fire Department!
We are happy to congratulate the New York Fire Department who held their 146th annual Medal Day at New York City Hall on June 3rd! Among the brave service men and women awarded were 13 Fire Officers, one Fire Marshall, 26 Firefighters, 2 Emergency Medical Service Officers, four paramedics and four Emergency Medical Technicians. Four fire companies also received unit medals.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro presided over the ceremony, and their heartfelt gratitude and pride were undeniably felt in the words they spoke to the honorees: “It’s part of what makes us proud as New Yorkers – this extraordinary department…It epitomizes the strength, the resiliency, the bravery, the professionalism, the sense of innovation – all of which we see is part of what is great about New York City, what we are proud of as New Yorkers – the very characteristics that make us proud to say this is our home,” said the Mayor.
Fire Commissioner Nigro added, “In our storied history, countless lives have been saved, and as we march forward, we will continue to work and train hard, and we will always make good on our promise to the people of New York to go into the danger and save lives.”
For the first time ever, this year’s ceremony awarded medals to probationary firefighters (Jordan C. Sullivan of Ladder Company 105, Justin L. Tallett of Ladder 107, and Marlon Q. Sahai of Ladder 9), whose bravery and discipline in times of need proved them to be promising and stand-out new additions to the department. In addition, the prestigious James Gordon Bennett Medal was given to Captain William J. Grant (Staten Island Engine Company 168), and the Dr. Harry M. Archer Medal was awarded to Firefighter Kevin J. Hogan (Ladder Company 114 in Brooklyn). The Christopher J. Prescott Medal was graciously given to EMTs Shaun Alexander and Kadijah Hall (Station 58) who were not even on-duty when they raced to the rescue of an injured police officer in Brooklyn.
Congratulations to the New York Fire Department, to all the recipients of this year’s medals, and to all the men and women who tirelessly serve their city’s people in the name of fire prevention and safety. We appreciate you!
Guardian SSI Puts Out Deadly Cooking Fires in Less than 15 Seconds
Demonstrates Life Saving Guardian Solution at Florida Fire Equipment Distributors Association
Guardian Safety Solutions International Inc. (GSSI), the leader in the development and manufacturing of residential range top fire protection systems, will exhibit at the Florida Fire Equipment Distributors Association (FFEDA) Annual Conference and Trade Show at Orlando World Center Marriott Resort, 8701 World Center Dr., June 26 – 28. FFEDA is a nonprofit trade association comprising fire equipment companies and manufacturers throughout the United States.
Protecting families worldwide since 1985, GSSI’s mission is to develop and distribute quality safety products that provide customers with peace of mind, while protecting lives and property.
“We are excited to demonstrate our ‘Guardian Solution’ range top suppression system at FFEDA,” said Paul Rouse, GSSI’s administrative officer. “This is extremely important as there are 34,000 kitchen fires each day in the U.S. causing more than $7 billion in damage every year.” He added that more than 12 million unintentional home cooking fires go unreported causing 640,000 injuries annually.
GSSI manufactures 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. Even older kitchens can be retrofitted as well,” Rouse said. (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. The design of the system offers:
• automatic operation
• continuous 24-hour protection
• concealed installation
• easy clean-up
• proven reliability
For more information, contact GSSI at 800-786-2178 or visit www.guardianssi.com, “Like” Guardian on Facebook and follow on Twitter @GuardianSSI.
Media Contact:
Susan Tellem
Tellem Grody PR
310.313.3444 x1
Susan@tellemgrodypr.com
Kids in the Kitchen: Teaching Fire Safety
Teaching kids how to cook can be much more than just a fun activity they’ll enjoy eating afterwards; it’s also proven to be tremendously helpful for other aspects of their learning skills. Many schools are incorporating cooking into their curriculum, since they find it’s a great way to keep kids’ attention.
These are some of the skills a child can fine-tune, simply by following a basic recipe:
• Math- measuring, weighing, counting, shapes and fractions.
• Reading- vocabulary and reading skills.
• Nutrition- where food comes from, how it’s grown, how food changes through the cooking process, sensory exploration.
• Motor skills- chopping, whisking, kneading, pouring.
However, one of the most important things that cooking can teach children is the importance of safety and responsibility in the kitchen. In 2012 alone, approximately 360,000 children nationwide were injured from burns or scalds, and with shows like Junior Iron Chef that make cooking something exciting and competitive for children to watch and emulate, ensuring kitchen safety is more important than ever.
Here are some tips to keep your junior chef injury-free:
• Turn off all appliances before leaving the kitchen.
• Keep appliances away from water.
• Do not pour water onto a pan with hot oil; the oil can sputter and cause burns.
• Hold burns under cold water immediately to reduce severity.
• Do not pour water onto a cooking fire, since it can make it bigger. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby and call 911 if flames start to leap.
• Turn pot handles to the back of the range top, and keep all towels and materials away from the stove burners.
For more information on how to keep your family safe while cooking, and your home fire-free, check out our website at: https://guardianssistg.wpengine.com/
Braille Institute Launches New Kitchen Confidence Program
Kitchen safety is always on our mind, and we’d love to congratulate the Braille Institute for reintroducing their Kitchen Confidence Program, which offers free cooking, nutrition, and safety classes for the blind and visually impaired. The program is supported by the Elaine F. Stepanek Foundation, and is taught by full-time, home management instructors who also help develop curriculum to support healthy eating on a budget and healthy habits to monitor cholesterol and sugar levels, as these conditions have been shown to affect eye health.
The Kitchen Confidence Program inspires blind and vision-impaired adults to be more self-sufficient and responsible with their health, and also allows them to consider the kitchen a safe and manageable place.
Here are some of the fantastic features the program offers:
• Integrates mobile and assistive technology with common kitchen appliances and utensils. Technology such as mobile tablet workstations replay audio instructions and enlarge text as needed, to aid people with low vision.
• Uses a specially created teaching kitchen with stations for gas and electric stove tops, ovens, microwaves, and other small appliances.
• Is included as part of the Braille Institute’s core set of free classes (Other example offerings are classes in living skills and getting around town).
• Teaches low vision adults to create nutritious meals, grocery shop, safely use knives and kitchen appliances, organize and manage a kitchen, and avoid and handle injuries.
Eventually, the Braille Institute hopes to expand their program to include virtual classrooms, thereby enabling them to reach larger numbers of blind and vision-impaired adults, and empower them to feel safe and confident in the kitchen. Take a look at the Institute’s website to see what else they’re up to, and always remember to practice safe cooking habits in your own home too! For more information, contact Michael Lazarovits, Executive Director of Braille Institute Santa Barbara at 805-682-6222.
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.
GuardianSSI Exhibiting at NAFED Annual Conference
GuardianSSI Exhibiting at NAFED Annual Conference
2015 Conference May 14 – 15 in New Orleans
Guardian Safety Solutions International, Inc. (GSSI), the leader in the development and manufacturing of range top fire protection systems, is exhibiting at the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (NAFED) Annual Conference and Expo, May 14 – 15, at the Astor Crowne Plaza, 739 Canal Street, New Orleans (booth #405).
NAFED’s guiding mission is gathering and disseminating information that improves the world’s fire protection and increase the fire protection industry’s competence. This high-impact, high-energy program highlights the challenges being faced by distributors throughout the nation while sharing critical insight as to the opportunities these challenges bring to equipment manufacturers, sales representatives and related industry professionals.
Protecting families worldwide since 1985, GSSI’s mission is to develop and distribute quality safety products that provide customers with peace of mind, while protecting lives and property.
“We are excited to demonstrate our ‘Guardian Solution’ range top suppression system at NAFED,” said Paul Rouse, GSSI’s administrative officer. “This is extremely important as there are 34,000 kitchen fires each day in the U.S. causing more than $7 billion in damage every year.” He added that more than 12 million unintentional home cooking fires go unreported causing 640,000 injuries annually.
GSSI manufactures 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. Even older kitchens can be retrofitted as well,” Rouse said. (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.
The design of the system offers:
• automatic operation
• continuous 24-hour protection
• concealed installation
• easy clean-up
• proven reliability
For more information, contact GSSI at 800-786-2178 or visit www.guardianssi.com. “Like” on Facebook and follow on Twitter @GuardianSSI.
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!
Guardian SSI Warns Families About Thanksgiving Cooking Fires
10 Tips for Cooking Safety
Guardian Safety Solutions International, Inc. (GSSI) warns families that Thanksgiving can be hazardous to their health. More cooking fires are reported on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. About 45 house fires are reported every hour in the U.S., and 60 percent of apartment fires are started by cooking equipment. Sadly, children and the elderly make up the greatest national percentage of injury and death due to household fires.
“Thanksgiving is a special day with relatives, but answering the door to welcome guests can distract even the most careful cook,” said Paul Rouse, GSSI administrative officer. “Alcohol during Thanksgiving celebrations can also add to cooking inattentiveness. Next thing you know, a fire starts consuming the stove, curtains and other flammable material in the kitchen.”
The popularity of turkey deep fryers has added another hazard to the celebration. The cooking oil temperature is extremely hot. Rouse said that they should be used as far from the house as possible. “It’s important to note that not one turkey fryer has been certified as safe by Underwriters Laboratories,” Rouse added. He offers tips for cooking safety.
10 tips for Thanksgiving cooking fire safety:
1. Never leave a room while cooking.
2. If you must leave the room while cooking, turn off the stove.
3. Keep pot handles turned to the back of the stove so children cannot grab them.
4. Wear short sleeves or tight sleeves while cooking so nothing dangles near a flame.
5. Keep paper, towels, pot holders, wooden utensils and curtains away from the cooking area.
6. Have one or more fire extinguishers handy and know how to use them.
7. Keep stove tops clean; remove built up grease and spilled food.
8. Never throw water on a grease fire – smother it with a pan lid instead.
9. Keep children and pets in the “kid-free” zone three feet from the stove.
10. Have a fire escape plan, and review and rehearse it often.
“The time to protect yourself against a range top fire is before it strikes. By simply installing the Guardian, you can rest at ease and party safely.” With the system, a fire can be extinguished in as little as seven seconds (video).
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. “Whether it is a single home or an apartment at risk, putting the fire out quickly is imperative to minimize damage and injury,” Rouse said.
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, Guardian Safety Solutions International Inc. 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. GSSI manufactures the Guardian III Model G300B, UL and ULC listed with a fuel shut-off.
###
Media Contact:
Susan Tellem, APR, RN, BSN
Tellem Grody PR, Inc.
susan@tellemgrodypr.com
310 313-3444 x1
