DeKALB | College students’ attempts at culinary genius sometimes result in small kitchen fires.

In light of that reality, “Watch what you heat” is the theme of this month’s National Fire Safety Month and National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 8 to 14.

National Fire Prevention Week educates people about fire safety and fire prevention, especially in the kitchen, where fires are most common.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking fires cause one third of all fires and are the leading cause of home fires in the U.S.

“The students here do a good job with their cooking practices, but there are mistakes made,” said Anthony Cox, DeKalb Fire Department lieutenant.

DeKalb’s cooking fire average is well above the national average, likely due to the large student population.

“A lot of people here are out of the home for the first time and this is the first time they have had their own kitchen without people supervising them,” Cox said.

Quentin Frison, a senior art education major, can attest to this since he has accidentally set a fire or two during his time as an undergraduate.

“I was hungry and I wanted to eat some leftovers,” Frison said.

Little did he know, however, aluminum foil does not belong in the microwave.

Although he learned his lesson, his roommates set a fire this past week because leftover grease that spilled underneath the burner had not been cleaned.

“You don’t think about the small things,” Frison said. “A lot of the times, people forget the simple things.”

Other than putting out fires, Cox helps people remember such “simple things” by educating them on fire prevention.

“Everyone thinks public education is just stop, drop and roll, but it’s much more than that, especially when we get to the college years and [students] are on their own for the first time,” Cox said.

Cox stresses that although many fire safety tips seem obvious to some, to others these tips may not be common knowledge.

“You may talk about things that are common sense or basic knowledge, but sometimes if you don’t have a parent to tell you these things, then it’s not really basic, especially if you don’t understand how grease works or how hot the oven actually gets,” Cox said.

To learn more about fire safety, visit the NFPA’s Web site, www.nfpa.org. For a personal demonstration of fire prevention and safety, all three DeKalb fire stations are hosting an open house on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Herminia Irizarry is a City Reporter for the Northern Star.