RENT Magazine Q3 '22

INSIDE AND OUT SETTING TENANT RULES FOR SAFE SUMMER COOKING For most Americans, summer is synonymous with baseball, vacation time and most of all, barbecue! Unfortunately, the summer months are also the peak months for indoor and outdoor grill fires, including structure and outdoor blazes. It’s so easy to become distracted by children

Indoor cooking safety Since not every rental property or condominium complex offers a communal barbecue center or grill- sized patios, many tenants purchase grill pans that sit on top of their gas burners to create grill marks and that special BBQ aroma and smoky flavor. Landlords need to educate their tenants on the dangers created by utilizing these indoor grills and tell them the necessary precautions and safety measures to follow when they are being used. Tenants need to know what they must do. Be sure that you have provided them with written instructions in case of fire and multiple smoke detectors. In addition, every kitchen should have a working fire extinguisher. Most importantly, one must never leave the range or cooktop unattended while cooking. If the cook has to leave the room, the range or cooktop should be turned off. As a preventative measure, cautious landlords equip their kitchens with a StoveTop FireStop to promote quick fire suppression and minimize injuries and damage to the home should a fire occur.

calling from the swimming pool to come watch their tricks or an unexpected guest at the door. A quick run out of the kitchen to call everyone in for dinner can be just enough time for a fire to start. The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) reports that 32% of home cooking fires cite unattended equipment as the leading factor in causing the fire. According to the NFPA, children under five accounted for an average of 2,000, or 39%, of contact-type burns per year. These burns typically occurred when someone, often a child, bumped into, touched or fell on a grill, grill part or hot coals. Children should never be left alone in a kitchen when food is cooking or near a hot barbecue grill. The NFPA also states that charcoal or other solid-fueled grills were involved in 1,300 home fires per year, including 600 structure fires and 600 outside fires annually.

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