The overview
As residents prepare for holiday cooking and baking over the next few months, Round Rock Fire Department officials are trying to educate the community about safety measures to prevent fires, after 13 structure fires occurred in November 2022. Meanwhile, October is also recognized as Fire Prevention Month by the city.
As part of a community risk reduction program, the fire department provides free home safety inspections upon request. This program aims to balance emergency responses with proactive and focused prevention efforts.
“We go in and check on our prominent users of 911. We coordinate with the folks at the serving center, going out to the most vulnerable citizens, which are typically elderly and disabled,” Fire Department Captain Darwin Shell said.
Here are five tips to prevent fires when cooking:
- Never leave a stove unattended. Turn off the burner if leaving the kitchen.
- Move things that can burn away from the stove, including dish towels, grocery bags, paper towels and boxes.
- In case of an oven fire, turn off the oven and keep the door closed until it’s cool. For grease fires, never use water. Slide a lid over the fire/pan and leave until the pan and grease has cooled.
- Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so no one can bump them or pull them off the stove.
- Make sure to have a functioning smoke detector on each floor of the house. Check that the batteries are still operational.
Looking ahead
Earlier in October, ground broke on construction for the new Fire Station No. 1—to be completed by fall 2024—making for a total of 10 stations throughout the city. The new station, located at 1730 E. Old Settlers Blvd., is expected to help better distribute response times across the city, resulting in quicker responses to the expanding eastern part of the community.
