GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A safety product is hoping to extinguish the number one cause of home fires and home injuries in the U.S.
The Green Bay Metro Fire Department began installing eight Smart Burners into stoves at Veterans Manor Apartments Thursday.
The Smart Burner can turn any electric coil stove into a “fire-safe” appliance. The main concept behind this product is that it will shut off power to the burner when it reaches 662F. Many cooking fires are started when combustibles are placed too close to the stovetop or when someone leaves something unattended on the stove. When the Smart Burner shuts the burner off at 662F, common items that may be too close to a stovetop, such as cotton and paper will not ignite even when placed directly on the burner plate when the burner is set on high.
Lt. Nick Craig with Green Bay Metro Fire Department says these products have a proven track record.
Mason Manor, a 152-unit apartment building overseen by the Green Bay Housing Authority, had every apartment retrofitted with Smart Burners in 2012. They have not had a cooking fire since the installation.
Before 2012, Craig said the fire department responded to one or two cooking fires a year at that apartment building.
“These are if you have a loved one that may take medications that may cause them to be drowsy or somebody else that you’re concerned of maybe having a fire in their kitchen, this is a perfect product, good peace of mind to keep them safe,” Craig explained.
Annually, cooking is responsible for more than 158,400 home fires, 470 deaths, 4,150 injuries, and nearly one billion dollars in damages. The National Fire Protection Association also reports that 53% of all cooking fires start on the stovetop.
“It’s a very easily preventable fire but life is full of distractions, you have cell phones, kids, talking on the phone, answering the door, it’s very easy to get distracted, take your attention away from the stove and that’s where this product will step in and keep you safe,” Craig said.
Smart Burners are available to purchase on Amazon or the company’s website. A four-burner set costs about $250 and takes two minutes to install.
