Barbecue Fire Safety - Warwickshire Web

Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service - Fire Engine

Barbecue Fire Safety

This summer, be responsible and organise safe barbecues by following the advice below. The advice will ensure that accidents and injuries can be avoided. Graeme Smith, Chief Fire Officer says "Barbecues should be very enjoyable but if the guidelines are not adhered to a tragic accident can occur, so please follow the advice below and have a safe barbecue." ENSURE YOUR BARBECUE IS SITED AWAY FROM COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS (i.e. sheds, fences, hedges, tents and so on) A common cause of accidents with barbecues is due to the careless use of flammable liquids that are sometimes added to ignite the charcoal. Never use petrol, lighter fuel, kerosene, methylated spirits or similar highly volatile fuel. Apart from their more obvious dangers, they will also give a nasty taste to the food. Never leave a lit barbecue unattended. keep a bucket of water, bucket of sand or a garden hose nearby, in case of emergencies. Never add more lighter fluid of any kind to charcoal that has been ignited and appears not to be burning. The charcoal is likely to be glowing hot inside even if there are not visible signs of this on the surface. Should you wish to rekindle the fire use a solid fire lighter. If in any doubt, start again from scratch. One of the simplest methods of starting a charcoal fire is to buy a pack of specially treated briquettes (in some cases the pack is treated with an ignition agent). The pack with its contents is placed on the fire bed or charcoal grill and lit. The charcoal is usually ready to cook after 20-40 minutes after ignition. The familiar solid white block fire lighter has been available from hardware stores for a good many years and has always been popular as a cheap, safe and efficient domestic fire starter. If using a gas barbecue and you suspect a leak turn it off immediately. When changing gas cylinders ensure they are fully off before disconnecting and of course properly reconnected before the new valve is opened.
The person using the barbecue should avoid consuming alcohol, as this increases the chance of injury. Stop young children playing around the barbecue area. For further information about how to prevent fires when barbecuing please visit: Directgov - barbecues, camping and the outdoors Remember when your cooking session is finished snuff out the coals and store them for later use. In covered barbecues the snuffing is simply done by closing the dampers at top and bottom. For smaller units the coals can either be transferred to a coal bucket with a lid which when closed will fulfil the same function, or dunked into a bowl of water and afterwards left to dry out.


For further Fire Safety information and advice contact: The Fire Safety Helpline on 01926 466282 National Community Fire Safety Centre Website - Fire Kills - Directgov Download the Fire Safety Outdoors Leaflet Return to Safety Advice

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