The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released a number of new safety resources ahead of Fire Prevention Week on October 8-14. This year, the association announced that the theme is “Cooking safety starts with you. Pay attention to fire prevention.”

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States, according to the NFPA. To that end, unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and deaths.

This year, in addition to NFPA’s Toolkit Page with templates, fillable flyers, social media assets, lesson plans, and safety tip sheets, the association underscores some simple actions everyone can take, including:

• Watch what you heat and set a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep kids 3 feet (1 m) from the stove/grill/oven and anywhere hot foods/liquids are being served.
• Turn pot handles towards the back of the stove.
• Always keep a lid nearby; if a small fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner.

“Year after year, cooking remains the leading cause of home fires by far, accounting for half (49 percent) of all U.S. home fires,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of outreach and advocacy at NFPA. “These numbers tell us that there is still much work to do when it comes to better educating the public about ways to stay safe when cooking.”

The campaign dates back to 1925, when President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. NFPA sponsors the public observance of Fire Prevention Week.

Access more information about Fire Prevention Week on NFPA’s website.