Summer Fire Safety Tips

7/27/2017 (Permalink)

Summer is in full swing, and summer means grilling out and lighting up a fire to sit around once the sun goes down. Here in The Upper Peninsula, we like to take full advantage of the summer weather! We also love a good cook out, so we move from cooking inside to outside on the grill. While we look forward to this time of year, it is important to keep these fire safety tips in mind.

Grilling:

• Keep at least a three foot clearance around the entire grill. Keep kids and pets clear of this area too!
• Move the grill away from the house and fence, and move it out from underneath any overhangs. Do not use the grill under trees or near shrubbery.
• Regularly clean out the grease traps on your grill to prevent grease fires.
• Never leave your grill unattended!
• If using charcoal, make sure the coals have cooled completely before disposing of them in a metal container.
• Keeping a fire extinguisher or a big box of baking soda in the vicinity is good idea in case a fire does breakout.

Bonfires:

• When a burn ban is in effect, use a fire pit, preferably with a lid that can cover the fire in case of an emergency.
• When a burn ban is not in effect, you can burn on the ground where the grass is low and green. Never burn on grass that is long or dry! Take a hose and saturate the area around the fire with water to help prevent it from spreading.
• Drag a hose over to where you’re burning. If you have a sprayer on your hose, turn the water on and keep it on until you’re through with your fire in case of an emergency.
• Never have a fire under trees or overhangs, near shrubbery, or close to the house.
• Keep flammable materials away from fires.
• Never leave a fire unattended.
• Never have a fire on a windy day!