By Peter Thorpe, Founder and CEO of FireAvert | Former Firefighter
Aging in place is more than being able to stay in your home. It's about preserving your independence while living safely. The kitchen is a place where independence is exercised every day. Preparing a meal or simply making a cup of coffee helps preserve the independence and dignity that make living at home so meaningful.
But independence means little without safety. And when families begin planning for aging in place, kitchen fire safety is often overlooked.
We install grab bars, improve lighting, remove trip hazards, and make accessible bathrooms. Yet, we don’t address the home’s greatest fire hazard: the kitchen stove.
As a former firefighter, I urge families to make kitchen fire prevention a priority when preparing a home for aging loved ones.
It isn’t enough to simply respond to a fire. We must prevent that fire from ever happening.
The Kitchen: An Overlooked Hazard
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States.
In 2024, cooking accounted for approximately 47% of residential building fires. In other words, nearly half of all residential fires started with an every day activity.
For older adults, the risks are even greater.
Research from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) found that adults ages 85 and older are 5.5 times more likely to die in a home cooking than the overall population.
A kitchen fire’s consequences extend beyond injury or death. Even a small fire can cause enough smoke damage to make a home temporarily uninhabitable. This obviously becomes an obstacle to living independently.
The solution isn’t to discourage older adults from cooking. It’s to make their kitchens safer.
Why Cooking Risks Change with Age
Many older adults prepare meals safely and independently well into their 80s and 90s. Still, age-related changes can increase the risk of an accident:
Memory and attention - Distractions can cause someone to leave their cooking unattended or forget to turn off their stove
Mobility and reaction time - Moving quickly to turn off a burner or escape a fire may become more difficult.
Vision and hearing - Changes in eyesight can make smoke or active burners hard to notice. Hearing loss may make traditional smoke alarms less effective.
Medication and fatigue - Some medications and age-related fatigue can cause drowsiness, dizziness, or difficulty concentrating while cooking.
These challenges don’t mean an individual must stop cooking. They show why kitchen safety belongs in every aging-in-place plan.
Why Smoke Alarms Alone Aren’t Enough
Smoke alarms are among the most important safety devices in any home. They warn of fires and give occupants valuable time to escape.
Every home should have properly installed and working smoke alarms. However, there is an important distinction between detecting a potential fire and stopping it. Imagine this.
You start warming up lunch on the stove. The phone rings in another room. You get distracted and forget about the food cooking on the stove.
Eventually, smoke begins to fill the kitchen, activating the smoke alarm. The alarm is doing exactly what it was designed to do, warning everybody to escape. But the burner is still on. The fire is not extinguished and will continue to grow. A key element to kitchen fire safety is missing in this scenario: prevention.
Moving from Detection to Prevention
Smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and emergency escape plans remain essential. They save lives and should always be part of a comprehensive home safety strategy.
But advances in technology are creating opportunities to go beyond detection:
Automatic stove shutoff devices - Devices can automatically shut off an electric or gas stove when a smoke alarm sounds, preventing fires.
Stove timers and reminders - Timers help people keep track of cooking. Some appliances also include automatic shutoff features.
Smart monitoring systems - Connected devices can notify family members or caregivers about certain cooking-related safety events or unusual appliance activity.
Accessible Alarms - Visual alerts, bed shakers, and other notification options can help people with hearing loss receive warnings.
Importantly, no single device eliminates every cooking fire risk. Safety systems should be selected carefully, installed correctly, and combined with safe cooking practices and an emergency escape plan.
Five Steps to Make a Kitchen Safer
Whether preparing your home or helping an older loved one, start here:
1. Assess the Kitchen
Look at the kitchen from the perspective of someone who may experience changes in mobility, eyesight, or dexterity.
Check lighting and clear pathways. Keep frequently used items within easy reach and towels, paper products, and other combustibles away from the stove.
Consider asking an occupational therapist or aging-in-place specialist to evaluate the kitchen's safety and accessibility.
2. Test Smoke Alarms
Make sure alarms work and are maintained according to manufacturer instructions and local requirements.
Replace them at the end of their service life, typically about ten years for many models. Consider accessible alerts for people with hearing difficulties.
3. Adopt Safer Cooking Habits
Simple habits can make a meaningful difference.
Stay in the kitchen when cooking. Use timers, keep pot handles turned inward, and avoid wearing loose clothing near open flames or hot burners.
If leave the kitchen while actively cooking on the stovetop, turn off the burner. These precautions are valuable for everyone, regardless of age.
4. Consider Additional Stove Safety Technology
If unattended cooking is a concern, install automatic stove shutoff devices, temperature-limiting burners, or other compatible safety systems.
A qualified professional can help determine which options work best for your appliance. The goal is added protection while preserving the ability to cook.
5. Create an Escape Plan
Every household should have an emergency plan that considers the mobility, hearing, vision, and other needs of its occupants.
Keep exits clear and make sure everyone knows how to get out. If a fire becomes unsafe to control, leave and call 911 from outside.
Prevention is always the priority, but knowing what to do in an emergency remains essential.
Independence and Safety Should Work Together
When an older loved one forgets a burner or leaves a smoking pan, families may worry and consider telling them to stop cooking.
A better question is: What can we change to help this person continue doing what they enjoy more safely?
Grab bars don't eliminate the need to use a bathroom. They make it safer to do so.
Improved lighting doesn't eliminate the need to walk through a home. It helps people navigate it more confidently.
In the same way, thoughtful kitchen safety improvements can help preserve the ability to cook independently.
Building a Safer Future at Home
Aging in place is all about preserving independence, confidence, and quality of life as our needs evolve.
Kitchen fire prevention should be part of that conversation.
Families don't need to wait until something goes wrong to take action.
Today you can do these 4 easy fire safety steps:
Conduct a simple kitchen safety assessment
Install working smoke alarms
Implement better cooking habits
Add appropriate prevention technology
The best outcome isn't surviving a kitchen fire. It's preventing fires while helping someone continue enjoying the comfort and independence of home.
About the Author
Peter Thorpe is the Founder and CEO of FireAvert, a fire prevention technology company. A former firefighter, Peter founded FireAvert with the goal of preventing fires before they become life-threatening emergencies. Through his work with residential communities and fire safety professionals, he advocates for practical prevention technologies that help protect people, property, and independent living. Learn more at www.fireavert.com.