Crew members appreciate the state of the art helmets but after the recent tragic deaths involving outdoor heating indoors and an influx of call outs to kitchen fires they still have a strong message for the public: 

Lithgow firefighters are warning local residents to avoid kitchen fire catastrophes this winter and 'keep looking when cooking' as new data has revealed around 50 per cent of residential fires started in the kitchen.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) yearly statistics, launched at the start of this year's Winter Fire Safety Campaign show that FRNSW firefighters responded to an average of 1230 house fires over winter with around half of those originating in the kitchen.

There are on average 21 house fire fatalities each year and around 576 people injured over winter — 206 of those were injuries suffered in a kitchen fire.

“As we know, firefighters dread winter because there is always a spike in the number of home fires,” Station Officer Noel ford said.

Tragically, these fires are also far more serious and are more likely to result in injuries and deaths.

“Already this year, nine people have died because of a fire in their home in NSW and we don't want to see that number increase.

“People need to be vigiliant in the kitchen and throughout their entire home this winter.

“A lot of people seem to adopt the 'it won't happen to me' attitude.

The fact is it can.

“FRNSW urge you  not to be complacent this winter — assess the risks and take the precautions needed to prevent a fire.”

Fire authorities, in partnership with FRNSW's major community partner GIO, are encouraging people to prepare this winter by following a few simple steps such as:

keep looking when cooking

turning off heaters and electric blankets before leaving home or getting into bed

keeping everything one metre from your heater

cleaning lint filters on the clothes dryer before or after each use

not overloading power points and power boards

keeping candles well away from curtains and putting them out before leaving the room

never smoking in bed and

don't bring outdoor heating and cooking equipment indoors. This can lead to the build up of carbon monoxide, which has proven to be fatal.