In an effort to inspire people to get in the kitchen and cook safely, we thought it would be fun to sponsor a little recipe contest. And to mix things up, we only want your very best Pork Chop or French Fry Recipes.

Why Pork Chops & French Fries?

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that we hear about a lot of cooking fires, but what may surprise you is the top two items we find are usually being cooked… you guessed it, French Fries & Pork Chops!

Between now and June 30th, post your (original) recipe in the comments of this blog or on our Facebook Page. At the end of the contest we’ll pick our favorite and give the winner a $50 gift card to the grocery store of his or her choice to purchase all the items you need to make your recipe for your friends or family.

We recently had the amazing opportunity to sponsor the Brain Injury Association of Vermont’s Walk For Thought. The mission of the BIAVT is to create a better future for Vermonters with brain injury through prevention, education, advocacy and support. The event raised over $29,000. 

Long term traumatic brain injuries can lead to long-term and lifelong need for help in performing daily activities. Memory and problem solving is often one of the impaired areas and as a result, those with brain injuries can be at an increased risk for cooking fire injuries.

Education about safety in the home is one way that the BIAVT supports and educates the individuals they serve and we were happy to help them spread the message about cooking fire safety and StoveTop FireStop. We look forward to working with them again in the future!

You would think my first reaction would be relief, but instead I found myself with an unsettled feeling because I realized this particular article is the exception, not the rule.

Did you know that a fire can ignite an entire room  in as little as 166 seconds?

The good news is that according to FEMA’s Structure Fire response Times,  51% of fires that are confined to room of origin and floor of origin had response times of less than 5 minutes, while 54% of fires confined to building and 49% beyond building had response times of less than 6 minutes.

While that means that the Fire Departments are getting there fast, once they are alerted of the fire, it is still enough time to lose everything.

We’ve talked about how when 11 minutes matter, How to Cook Safely and even about Fire Safety for Seniors.  And while that is all really important information, I think the biggest thing I take away from all of this is that while we can and should constantly educate ourselves on all the ways to prevent a fire, they will still happen.

And while I know what to do in the case of a fire, I have children and I’m sure many of you have children and the real question is, “Do they know what to do in case of a fire?” I’m not sure my kids do, and I started to think that you might feel the same way.

Over the course of the next few weeks I will be compiling information and doing a series of blog posts on Children and Fire Safety. Everything from age-appropriate resources to checklists. If you have any resources you’d like me to check out please leave a comment here or you can email me: joanna.osborne@stovetopfirestop.com.

Carter and I are in Chicago for the NAFED (National Association of Fire Distributors) Conference. If you are attending the show, please come by and visit us at Booth 408.

2013 also happens to be NAFED’s 50th Anniversary.

Conferences are a huge part of our ongoing to commitment to our suppliers, customers and all of the various industries that we interact with. Too often we all get stuck behind computers and we truly enjoy the opportunity to get out and shake hands with everyone.

If you ever catch us at a conference, make sure to say hi!

We thought since grilling is one of the most popular ways to cook food that we’d just pass along a friendly reminder of some tips to keep everyone safe around the BBQ.

Shara brings over fourteen years in sales and customer services, including twelve years at Motheral Printing. Prior to joining the StoveTop FireStop Team, she had been working in the printing industry, utilizing her customer service and sales skills to meet quotas.

Carter Shackelford, Marketing Manager states “We believe Shara’s extensive experience in Account Management and Customer Service with companies like Motorola and Blackberry will make her a natural fit for several of our large national and international distributors. We’re excited to have her be a part of our team.”

Their names were prominently written on their miniature chefs hats: Snap, Crackle, and Pop. According to the commercial, they were the magical little elf chefs that were responsible for adding their namesake qualities to the cereal.

Now that I’m all grown up and have left my days of watching early morning cartoons behind, I happen to work in and around the fire safety and fire prevention industry, and the description of snap, crackle, and pop invokes a very different response than it did when I was a kid.

For anyone who’s been in a fire, or even stood nearby one, you know the snap, crackle, and pop of a raging inferno is not something that usually has a happy ending (or involves elves, for that matter). The snap of lumber and support beams in a structure is the sound that typically precedes a large section of a building coming down. The crackle of your possessions becoming embers lingers in your memory long after the fire is put out. The pop of light bulbs, cans of hairspray and spray paint, and countless other pressurized items in your home are the acoustic reminders of things you will never get back.

Fire prevention techniques and fire safety training are two things that make so much sense and seem to be so intuitive, and yet it only takes one fire event to remind us of how easy it is to be careless and momentarily forgetful of the common sense things we’ve learned. Fire safety training is so much more than ‘stop, drop, and roll’ and ‘be rabbit ready’ (always have two exits). Fire prevention is more than just remembering to check your batteries in your smoke alarms, and not leaving the kitchen while you’re cooking. Collectively, they are steps and processes and tips that are designed to keep you alive and keep you and your property safe, but like buckling your seatbelt and not drinking and driving, they are often forgotten or ignored.

If you haven’t taken a refresher course lately, call up your local fire department and ask them if they have some flyers or handouts to share. Go to NFPA.org and download some safety tips. Share them with your friends.  Share them with your family.

Do whatever you need to do to make sure that when you hear the phrase, “Snap, Crackle, Pop!” you still think of three little elves that make sugary cereal.

And don’t to check out our Rockin’ Roll Out and leave us a comment with your favorite Songs About Fire!!!

StoveTop FireStop got a big makeover, so we’re doing the live debut of our new logo and new products  at the NFPA Conference June 10th-12th in Chicago and we need your help! Between now and June 1^st, we want you to submit your favorite songs about Fire. We want songs about fire.  Songs with fire in the title.  Songs that talk about Rings of Fire, and C’mon Baby Light my Fire, and even songs that shout, “THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE!”  And if you’re really clever, you can earn bonus points for songs that allude to fire (Think “Wheel in the Sky” by Journey or a recent super-popular song by Adele).

Leave comments and suggestions here, post them on our Facebook page or give us a shout-out on Twitter (hashtag #rockinrollout)! Help us come up with an “on fire” playlist to rock out our new look in Chicago.

If you are going to be at the NFPA Conference in Chicago, make sure to stop by and see us at Booth #1371. We’ll be handing out tons of rockin’ giveaways every hour!!

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So, you love to cook!  Would you know what to do if your delectable dish went up in flames while you were preparing it? To make sure your culinary delights go straight to your table make sure you always stay in the kitchen while you are cooking. Did you know that unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires and is near the top of our Top 5 Fire Risks?

There are a few simple and easy ways to make certain your kitchen area is a safe haven for your cooking and entertaining events.  First, always keeps items that can catch fire away from cooking surfaces including pot holders, paper towels, loose clothing, and other items that can easily catch fire when the stove is being used or if it’s accidentally turned on.

Try cleaning up while you are cooking, which means wiping off your stovetop, burners, and oven so you get rid of any potential fire hazards.  Spilled oil, splattered grease, or spilled food can catch fire while you are using your stove or oven. It can also happen during the oven’s self-cleaning cycle.

When you use your oven, always open the door to make sure it’s empty before you turn it on. It is important to use your oven just for cooking.  If you use your oven to store kitchen items chances are you will forget that they are in there, you will turn it on to bake, and that will lead to disaster.

If for some reason you have a fire in your kitchen, always have the pot lid or a fire extinguisher nearby that way you can easily grab.  Cover the pan with the lid to smother the fire or use the fire extinguisher to put it out. Never attempt to move the pan, this can cause severe burns; and never pour water on an oil or grease fire, water will make the fire bigger and it will spread faster.

When in doubt, just get out.  Evacuate immediately if a cooking fire is large or spreading quickly and make sure to call 9-1-1.

For more of the OCFA’s Safety Resources, visit their site here.