The Lacombe Fire Department will be wrapping up Fire Prevention Week with a Chili Cook-Off at the Lacombe Fire Hall on Saturday, October 14th.  

“This Saturday we'll have neighboring departments and some of our mutual aid partners coming in with their best chili recipe and we’ll allow the public to come in and vote on it and which one they think is the best tasting,” said Darrick Graff, Deputy Fire Chief.  

During the cook off, the fire departments will be sharing some cooking tips and hosting live demonstrations. One demonstration will show how you can properly use a fire extinguisher, and another will go into the proper containment of a grease fire.  

“We'll have a mock stove set up and live fire there and we'll demonstrate the best practices and what happens should you not extinguish a fire appropriately,” said Graff.  

For this year’s Fire Prevention Week, local fire departments are emphasizing cooking safety. Graff says there are a few simple tips on keeping your kitchen safe from cooking fires.  

“The biggest thing we find is that people aren't necessarily as attentive as they probably should be when cooking. We're busy and there's lots of distractions out there and that seems to be the kind of the big one,” explained Graff.  

Here are some other tips Graff provided:  

  • Turn cooking handles inward 
  • Avoid wearing loose clothing in the kitchen 
  • Doing regular cleaning and maintenance on your kitchen appliances 

Thankfully, Graff says cooking fires are not a huge problem in the Lacombe area lately. However, it’s always a good to ensure your kitchen practices are safe.  

You can catch the Chilli Cook-Off at the Lacombe Fire Hall on Saturday, October 14th from 1:00PM to 5:00PM.  

“We're just looking forward to having everybody else and being able to distribute a little bit more information. I think it should be a fun filled afternoon,” he added.  

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