Brooklyn, NY – The horrors of this weekend’s devastating fire still fresh in his mind, Assemblyman Dov Hikind asked his own daughter, a mother of six, to stop using an electric hotplate to keep her food warm on Shabbos.
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Hikind called the heartbreaking blaze that took the life of seven children “a wake-up call” saying that members of the Jewish community need to exercise extreme safety when it comes to heating up food on Shabbos.
“I think we need to examine the hot plates that we are using and see how safe they are, check their safety ratings on the internet,” Hikind told VIN News.
“We need to make sure that we have enough space to use them safely and to put them in a safe place, where the wires aren’t too close to the actual machine which can cause problems, even if one of the kids accidentally moves it. Everyone needs to examine what they are using, how they are using it and where they are using it.”
Hikind, who uses a blech to heat up his food on Shabbos, said that over the past 24 hours, stories have begun to surface about hot plates that have overheated including another story of lost lives.
“A couple of years ago we had a tragedy on Avenue J, although not as severe as this one, where a number of people died as a result of one of these blechs,” said Hikind.
The assemblyman also urged people to make sure that they have both carbon monoxide and smoke detectors in their homes and to get in the habit of checking them regularly to make sure that they are in proper working order at all times.
“When you go to buy any of these items, talk to the people in the store, make sure that they are safe and spend a little more if you have to,” said Hikind. “We should all make sure that we are doing our best to stay safe.”
“There are no guarantees in life,” added Hikind. “But each one of us has to do everything that we can to be more careful.”
The community needs to re evaluate the need for working smoke detectors in all sleeping areas of a home, not the use of particular appliances.. Stoves,candles, air conditioners, irons, boilers etc can cause fires but no one suggests they be banned. Fires will happen from time to time, but working smoke alarms will warn the residents and save lives.
it also shouldn’t be an aveira if one doesn’t eat hot food on Shabbos day. there are many times when i eat hot foods on Friday nite but on Shabbos day i eat cold (whole wheat challah, delicious cold fish or meat, tons of salad, hummus, etc.) and enjoy it tremendously. but i always have this feeling that i am not keeping shabbos properly because i didn’t put on my crock pot or hot plate that shabbos. we should have the option not to have these dangerous items plugged in over shabbos. there should be nothing wrong with eating one meal – friday nite – hot (which usually stays very warm even after we turn off the oven or stove before candle lighting) and the shabbos day meal room temperature or even cold. somewhere along the line it became ‘three hot meals on Shabbos’ …. in reality, the only mitzvah is to eat three delicious and festive meals …. i don’t think the temperature of the meals should be an issue …..
To Mr. ‘doe’, having fire/smoke detectors is a separate issue from dangereous shabbos appliances. It’s common sense to have working detectors throughout one’s home, anyone who says otherwise has a screw loose. As for the issue of the dangers of using hot plates on Shabbos and Pesach without a shabbos clock, in October 2010 on Avenue P near Coney Island Avenue, there was another very similar Fire caused by ‘an electric griddle’ during Succos time. In that case an 8 year old frum boy died, and his 5 siblings taken to the hospital. For you to say ‘fires will happen from time to time’ begs the issue. Some fires are PREVENTABLE and many frum Yidden just can’t seem to grasp that concept. R’L
What needs to be re-evaluated is use of hot water urns and hot plates the do not have UL certification. It is almost impossible to find one’s with a certification and you get funny looks from the stores (even major ones) on why you would even want one with a certification.
these blechs are a fire hazard because the plugs and wire get very hot.
What should one not do for 2 days of yom tov- with the stove, oven, crockpot, etc?
You can purchase a safe ul approved hot plate at Macy’s under the PRESTO label. I had an israeli hot plate that the electric cords came right out. As for the urns they must also have an UL label on it.Beware of FRUM stores in BP , WILLY,MONSEY, MIAMI etc.who sell NON UL appliances.
Use a shabbos clock as much as possible. When going to sleep, be sure the shabbos clock has turned off the plattee
Please look up: Pelleh Platte on Google. I have patents in the U.S. and Israel for this invention which will blow a fuse (circuit breaker) and disconnect without letting a fire start. It has “Haskomos” from Gedolim including Rabbi Yisrael Belsky of the OU. It is a combination Urn and Hot Plate. The heating element is a silicon wafer fused to the outside bottom of the urn and the cover (the blech) is heated without electricity from the heat in the water. I can be reached in Israel (telephone: 072-234-4099) or via Skype from the U.S. at: 1-516-874-5613. (Rabbi) Chaim Sholom Weissman
we should all be using warming drawers instead. the major appliance manufacturers created this product with a setting to stay on for 24 hours. the are multiple safety devices in these products such as high limit thermostats which are engineered to cut the power to the appliance in case of overheating. they also have protection against power surges. how can we purchase such a dangerous product made overseas without the oversight of industry professionals. i understand there are halachic issues regarding placing food in the drawer on shabbos however most of the poskim agree that food placed in the drawer before shabbos can be removed on shabbos. we should all be careful when purchasing an electrical device with any brand name that is not known and trusted
It is appropriate to use a slow cooker (“Crock Pot”) as these appliances are made specifically to be kept on for long periods of time. Many ovens now are made with “Sabbath Mode” or “Cook and Hold”.
There needs to be an increased awareness in Orthodox communities of fire prevention and fire safety. In NYC, FDNY tries it’s best to educate as many people as possible about fire dangers and how to limit problems. FDNY comes to community events, and their materials and advice should never be ignored. All schools whether in NYC or elsewhere should take advantage of fire safety educational resources provided their local fire department.
Every home whether it be an apartment or a house should have smoke detectors in working order. Every home should have several working fire extinguishers, and those rated ABC are the best bet. Every family should review their surroundings and have an escape plan should fire start and not be contained quickly. If there is to be anything positive to come from this horrific disaster, it should be a new way at looking at keeping danger down, and how to save the lives of each family when fire does strike.
How old is your home’s wiring to begin with. I had an electrician a”h who used to laugh at the foolishness of his customers. He said they were only concerned about the appearance of their homes and were busy with the decoration, but when they purchased a home and had him come in to add lighting and hang fixtures he begged them to let him check out the old wiring first and bring that up to date because you never know when the old brittle wiring will start an electrical fire in the walls. They said it wasn’t in the budget to do that.
For everyone with all this good advice think about that! There are many things each one of us can look at and learn from. Sit down and take a good hard look at what you each need to do to keep your family safe. Whether it is your wiring, your electronic items, your detectors, your mezuzas, your own health, your financial planning, your faulty car whatever it is. These are all wake up calls to show us how precious life is, and how we should never take it for granted. Never miss an opportunity to tell your children or your spouse that you love them. Make sure your parents hear that from you as well and know they are appreciated.
Ovens may be the safest solution around. I believe most of todays modern ovens have a built in saftey feature and are fire proof. Where a fire to break out it would only destory the contents inside the oven but it would not spread outside its walls. Please correct me if I am wrong.
““A couple of years ago we had a tragedy on Avenue J, although not as severe as this one, where a number of people died as a result of one of these blechs,” said Hikind.”
Which tragedy is Mr. Hikind referring to here?
Hey guys we all still go into tall buildings. We atill go on airplanes despiter 9/11 and there accidents over the past two years. Should we take precautions yes. But i don’t think we have to change course. This is unfortantley a rare occurance.
My hot plates are great. Gas range on for 25 hohrs os awful in my opinion. By middle of shabbos if I ha e a gas blech stinks and house fells stuffy. I open the windows desperately. So I swiched to electric. I love my electrics. I will definitelly make sure UL listed