Fire service urges families to stay safe on Pancake Day

Fire service urges families to stay safe on Pancake Day

‘Have a safe and happy Pancake Day’ is the message from the fire service for tomorrow (Tuesday 8 March) when families will reach for the frying pan to make pancakes.

As well as your favourite topping, such as lemon juice, honey or syrup the fire and rescue service want you add a special ingredient to the mixture of eggs, flour and milk – safety!

Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive, Steve McGuirk said: “We want everyone to have a fun family time if they celebrate pancake day – but to remember over sixty percent of accidental house fires start in the kitchen - don’t let an accidental fire make it memorable for the wrong reasons, it only takes a moments distraction to cause a serious incident”.

To help reduce the chance of an accidental fire always remember the following points 

• When using a frying pan or cooking with hot oil never leave the pan unattended when the heat is switched on, even to answer the ‘phone or the door
• Do not move the pan if it is on fire
• Never put the food in the pan if the oil begins to give off smoke
• In the event of a fire, get out, stay out and call the fire service 

The best defence against making sure an accidental fire doesn’t become a tragedy is to ensure you have a properly sited working smoke alarm – and an escape plan so that everyone in the house knows what to do if it does go off.

Anyone in Greater Manchester having concerns about fire safety in their
home can arrange for a free home fire safety risk assessment on 0800 555 815 or by visiting www.manchesterfire.gov.uk.