[NFBofSC] Assistive Technology for Safe Cooking

[Steve Cook]

Assistive Technology for Safe Cooking


According to the National Fire Protective Association, ranges or cooktops account for almost two-thirds of home cooking fire incidents, and unattended equipment is a factor in one-third of reported home cooking fires and half of associated deaths.

What should you do if you or your loved one forgets food on the stove unattended which could be the cause of a house fire?  First and foremost, the advice is to stay in the kitchen when you are cooking, but we all have had that random phone call or need to attend to something outside of the kitchen which takes us away from what we are cooking.  Sometimes we are forgetful and don’t turn off the stove when we are done cooking.

There are several devices invented in the past few years which can prevent that lapse of memory to turn into a tragedy.

These are thin plastic disks that attach behind the burner knobs to continually remind you that the burners or oven is on.  They are pretty inexpensive compared to the other options below. The beeping alarm sounds at 3 minutes, 9 minutes, 15 minutes, and then every 15 minutes to alert you that the stove is still on.   Amazon also sells this and has some reviews on it. <https://www.amazon.com/BurnerAlert-Stove-Reminder-Color-White/dp/B07PP7P9S3> 

Photo Credit: FireAvert 

This device plugs into the wall and then you plug your stove into the Fire Avert plug-in. There are 2 models; one for a three prong plug-in and one for a four prong plug-in.  You then pair the device with your smoke detector and it will shut off the stove when the smoke detector goes off.  You can reset the device by flipping the breaker.  There is not an app for a smart phone; this just works with the smoke detector in your home.

 

Photo credit: Wallflower 

This device is also a plug-in between your wall and the stove plug-in.  There are also 2 models; one for a three prong plug-in and one for a four prong plug-in.  You then download the app for this on your smartphone and it will tell you when the oven is turned on, if it has been left one, and can even monitor more than one stove.  You need WiFi in the home for this to work.

Basically this model is a motion sensor.  There are 2 parts to the model.  There is the plug-in that goes between the stove plug-in and the wall (compatible with 3 or 4 prong plug-ins) and the motion sensor device sits on the back of the stove.  This device defaults to 5 minutes so if it doesn’t detect motion in front of the stove, it will beep and then shut off the stove.  This time can be altered anywhere from 30 seconds to 99 minutes.

There isn’t much info on this one but I called the company and spoke with the inventor.  Lee and his wife own and operate the company and he told me all about the thought and study that went into this device.  This device is another motion detector that will show a green light when the stove is off, a yellow light when the stove is on. If left unattended for 6 minutes, the device will blink red and will make a beeping sound like a microwave.  After 8 minutes, the stove power shuts off automatically.  All a person has to do to reset the stove is turn the knob off.  This product only works on electric stoves.

This also uses a motion sensor and will contact loved ones remotely through app on phone.  There are different models of the iGuard for a gas stove, a cooktop, an electric stove with 3 or 4 prong plug-ins.  This requires WiFi in your home.  This device will shut off the stove if no motion is detected after 5 minutes.  The motion detector will also show a caregiver through the app when the stove is turned on or off and when there is any motion in the kitchen.  There is a great Youtube video describing the features.

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Conclusion



These are a few of the safety devices for the prevention of cooking fires.  If you have questions about these or other devices that could help someone who is experiencing forgetfulness and who wants to stay as independent as possible, please call us at 800-895-4728 and ask to speak with a consultant.

https://ndassistive.org/blog/atforstoves/?utm_source=rss <https://ndassistive.org/blog/atforstoves/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=atforstoves> &utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=atforstoves

 

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