FIRE DEPARTMENT
BARBECUE SAFETY TIPS
A few simple barbecue safety tips may save more than your dinner
- Clean your barbecue to avoid grease buildup. Accumulated grease deposits frequently catch fire and are difficult to put out.
- Keep grill at least 10 feet away from your house or trees.
- Don’t barbecue in the garage, on the porch or deck. Decks often have dry grass and debris under them and if a smoldering match drops between the boards, it could ignite the debris, the deck and your house.
- Keep children away from the grill.
While Barbecuing
- Avoid loose clothing that could catch fire during a flare up.
- Never use gasoline or paint thinner to start a fire as they will explode and or release toxins into the food
- Don't squirt or pour starter fluid onto a lit grill. Fires can readily flashback along the fluid’s path and explode the container in your hands.
- Keep alcoholic beverages away from the grill. They are flammable.
- Never leave grill unattended.
Propane / Gas Grills
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that more than 500 fires and 20 injuries occur every year from gas grill fires and explosions of grills that have not been used for several months.
- Clean out venturi tubes that lead to the burner on gas barbecues. Insects frequently build nests in the tubes sometimes forcing the gas to find somewhere else to go.
- Check for propane leaks every time you replace the cylinder. Pour or spray soapy solution over the connections; if bubbles form, there is a leak.
- If there is a leak, do NOT use the grill until the leak is fixed.
- Check and secure all the connections BEFORE turning on the gas.
- Never start a propane barbecue with the lid closed as accumulated gasses could explode, blowing the lid off when the grill is lit.
- Don’t lean over a gas barbecue when lighting it and avoid singed eyebrows, or worse.
- Buy propane only from approved compressed gas suppliers.
- Never store propane cylinders indoors, in the trunk of your car, or near any heat source.
Charcoal grills
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that every year about 20 deaths and 400 injuries are treated as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal grills.
- Never use any flammable liquid other than barbecue starter fluid to start a charcoal barbecue.
- Remove the ashes after they’re completely cooled.
- Always soak coals with water after cooking; they retain their heat for a long time.
- Keep damp or wet coals in a well ventilated area. During the drying process, spontaneous combustion can occur in confined areas.
