Cook dangerously? Wichita offering free fire stoppers that go above your stove
So you’re cooking something greasy on your stove and get distracted and forget to turn the burner off. Some minutes later, you see flames jumping out of the pan.
Such unattended cooking is the No. 1 cause of house fires and the Wichita Fire Department and an insurance company have a plan to fix that — automatic fire suppression devices that stick magnetically to the underside of a typical range hood.
Soon, they’ll be giving those away.
“They’re fire-stop cans,” said Jose Ocadiz, battalion chief of the Fire Department’s community risk reduction division. “They’re almost like the shape of a tuna can and they go right above (the stovetop) where the exhaust fan’s at.”
If the stove catches fire, “there’s a (chemical) agent that just falls down and is able to suffocate that fire,” he said.
It’s similar to the more elaborate systems already required over the stoves in commercial kitchens, he said.
The Fire Department plans to add stove suppressors to the smoke alarms it already distributes through its home-safety program, Ocadiz said. On Thursday, the department received a $5,000 grant from State Farm Insurance to get started.
Shara Limoges of Williams RDM, which makes the Stovetop Firestop brand of range-hood fire suppressors, said the devices have been around since 1972 “and we’ve been selling them ever since.”
The can has a small fuse at the bottom. If it’s ignited by a stovetop flame, it sets off a very small explosive charge that pops open the bottom of the can and allows the suppression chemical to fall on the stove by gravity. The chemical is similar to baking powder and is non-toxic, she said.
The devices cost the Fire Department about $25 to $40 per unit, depending on the brand, Ocadiz said. A two-unit pack to cover the average four-burner stove retails for about $60 online.
Wichita residents who don’t have working smoke alarms or need a fire checkup can call 316-268-4441.
“We’ll gather your information and we’ll have one of our community risk reduction officers contact you to schedule a time,” Ocadiz said. “We’ll be able to do a walk-through of your home and see what’s the best places for a smoke alarm and see (if there’s) a need for a fire-stop.”
