Wilmington Fire Department, UNCW install SmartBurners to reduce cooking fires
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The City of Wilmington, the Wilmington Fire Department, and the University of North Carolina Wilmington are partnering to make campus housing safer by reducing the risk of cooking fires.
On Wednesday, firefighters installed SmartBurners in Seahawk Crossing apartment buildings one and four. The devices replace traditional electric coil stove elements with temperature-limiting technology designed to keep cooking oil from igniting, helping stop cooking fires before they start.
Wilmington Fire Chief Steve Mason said the effort addresses one of the most common causes of residential fires.
“We know that cooking fires are the leading cause of fires, particularly unattended cooking is the leading cause of fires in residences across the country, and so this is a great community risk reduction effort in order to reduce those risks, particularly here on campus,” said Mason.
About 100 SmartBurners were installed through the Vision 20/20 Pilot Program, which is funded by FEMA’s Fire Prevention and Safety Grant.
Wendy Giannini-King, the Wilmington Fire Department’s community risk specialist, said Wilmington was one of only three communities nationwide selected to receive the devices.
“So, they cost nothing to UNCW and nothing to the City of Wilmington,” said Giannini-King.
Giannini-King said the university is already working to expand the technology throughout Seahawk Crossing.
“UNCW has made a purchase or is in the process of purchasing more to complete all of these buildings, so we look forward to seeing the data change just as soon as the students get back to campus. The idea of being able to install these SmartBurners in Seahawk Crossing means that the students will be safer,” said Giannini-King.
Mason said the project reflects the department’s broader approach to preventing emergencies before they happen through its Community Risk Reduction initiative.
“Community Risk Reduction is more proactive than simply fire education. We identify the risk that we, we know are in our community, we work with our community partners, like UNCW, SmartBurner, to come up with strategies under the risk reduction model, in this case engineering, to reduce the risk of deaths, injuries, and property loss from fire,” said Mason.
The first SmartBurners are now installed, and officials say they will monitor fire data after students return to campus this fall to measure the technology’s effectiveness.
