PHOTOS: "It's basically a firefighter in a can."
That's how John Holland, public information officer for the Oshkosh Fire Department (OFD), describes the Stovetop Firestop.
OFD partnered with the Oshkosh Area Community Food Pantry to distribute the gadgets Tuesday, free of charge, to pantry visitors 60 years old and above. Holland said this age group was targeted because "they are at one of the highest risks of being injured or killed in a fire."
Stovetop Firestops -- essentially a pair of cans filled with a fire extinguishing agent -- are designed to extinguish stove fires without any action being taken by residents. The devices are magnetically attached to a range hood and activate when flames trigger a fuse on the underside of the can.