Fire Pit Safety

5/28/2019 (Permalink)

It's time to hang around the fire pit

The outdoors are calling as the weather begins to warm up. Lawns are gardens are returning back to their vivid spring colors and neighbors are coming out of hibernation. The sounds of lawn mowers and weed wackers are abundant. The smell of freshly mowed grass and Bbq's permeate the air. Spring is here to awaken all of our senses. With the arrival of spring and heading into summer, more and more people are coming outside to enjoy the fresh air.

When night falls, fire pits are being lit to extend the day and conversations with friends and family carry on into the wee hours of the night. Even through conversations with friends and family around the fire pit in the backyard are great ways to build memories, remembering fire safety and responsibility will ensure those times continue.  

1. When lighting your fire pit ,do not use highly flammable ignition sources such as gasoline or lighting fluid. Build a pyramid with three pieces of seasoned wood (seasoned at least 6 months) stand them end to end like a rooftop and then fill in the gaps with crumpled up newspaper and some small dry kindling sticks.
2. Make sure your pit is 10-20 ft away from any building, plant ,trees and overhanging branches. Since hot embers can travel, be cautious and keep a bucket of sand, pail of water or working garden hose close by in case an ember goes astray. Having a Class B or C fire extinguisher nearby would be good too.
3. When extinguishing the fire make sure the fire is completely out, if you purchased a fire pit kit, most manufacturers include a safety guide to explain the proper procedure to extinguish the fire in the pit. If you use your garden hose to extinguish the fire, use the wide pray selection to keep from spreading hot embers with a direct, heavy stream of water. Thoroughly drench the fire pit to ensure it is out. If the fire is just hot embers and no flames a decent coating of sand should keep any fires from occurring. A coating of sand and a decent soaking should eliminate the threat of any fire re-igniting.

These are just a couple of quick tips to ensure you and your family have a great backyard season. Safety first and if a fire does occur that becomes to large please call your local fire company immediately and evacuate the area.