Resolution Supporting Available Technology for the Purpose of Reducing Fire Loss and Personal Injury from Stovetop Cooking Fires

WHEREAS: Cooking equipment is the leading cause of residential fires and home fire injuries in the United States; and

WHEREAS: Unattended cooking is the leading factor contributing to cooking fires; and

WHEREAS: Electric ranges are the leading type of cooking equipment involved in these fires; and

WHEREAS: Unattended cooking and combustibles too close to the cooking surface, such as towels, paper products, etc., are major contributing factors to these fires; and

WHEREAS: Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fire injuries, these fires accounted for 40% of all reported home structure fires and 36% of home civilian injuries; and

WHEREAS: Education and code enforcement alone have not yielded the desired results when it comes to eliminating cooking fires; and

WHEREAS: Tested affordable technology for electric coil ranges now exists to drastically reduce the number of these fires and burned food incidents by reducing the high end temperature at which burners operate with no appreciable difference in cooking times or quality; and

WHEREAS: High-end heat regulation technology currently available can reduce the amount of energy used by the range by as much as 50%;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the North Carolina State Firemen’s Association supports this cooking “fire prevention” technology and further supports a modification of state and federal agency regulations to allow for this new fire safety technology to be utilized and will promote it by whatever means necessary in an effort to reduce or eliminate stovetop cooking fires.

Adopted this 18^th day of November, 2010

Attest:

Chief R. Scott Alderman, President

Paul F. Miller, Executive Director