BBQ Fire Safety Tips | CheckFire
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BBQ Fire Safety Tips

The long-awaited British summer has finally arrived, bringing with it the promise of barbecues aplenty. While this provides opportunities to get together with friends and enjoy the warmer weather, it’s important you take the time to consider some general fire safety guidance first. According to the latest data from the Home Office, grilling fires account for around 4% of accidental fires in the UK. 

Here, we discuss BBQ fire safety tips to prevent injuries or damage to property and ensure your barbecue runs smoothly. 

Why is grill fire safety important?

Barbecues involve several potential sources of fire and could lead to serious injuries or fatalities if managed incorrectly. While enjoying your barbecue, your guests may be drinking alcohol and could have impaired judgement, making the need for a safe set up all the more vital. A barbecue might be a joyous occasion, but even small disposable barbecues can cause a lot of damage if potential risks are underestimated or not considered at all. 

Grilling safety tips

First of all, before you begin your barbecue, ensure it’s in good working order. If you need to change a gas cylinder, do it in a well-ventilated area and always double check the tap is turned off first. To ensure the cylinder isn’t leaking, brush soapy water around the joints and note whether any bubbles appear. Tighten the valve to fix the issue, but be careful not to overtighten.

Secondly, evaluate any potential risks. Whether you’re using a huge stand-up grill or a small disposable barbecue, naked flames, alcohol and cooking oils can be a dangerous combination so it’s important to consider your location and set up. Disposable barbecues should never be used in enclosed spaces as they release poisonous carbon monoxide fumes that can only disperse safely when outdoors. Once used, leave the disposable barbecue to cool overnight before throwing it away – it will stay hot for a while and may melt the plastic of your bin, or set fire to its contents. It’s also important to remember that during warmer weather, surrounding greenery will most likely be dry and therefore more likely to catch fire should the barbecue be positioned too closely and / or knocked over. Place it on flat ground and a good distance away from sheds, fencing, trees or tents.

Finally, if pets or young children are present and running around, they could put themselves and others at risk if they knock over the barbecue. Try to anticipate accidents and put measures in place to avoid them, such as setting boundaries for children and parents to keep the area surrounding the barbecue as a ‘child-free zone’. Whichever type of barbecue you’re using, it should never be left unattended, and the designated chef shouldn’t drink too much alcohol to ensure they’re in full control of the barbecue and cooking. 

Fire safety equipment for barbecues

If you have barbecues regularly, you should buy either a metal fire bucket or plastic fire bucket that you fill with either sand or water to extinguish the flames. When it comes to a fire extinguisher for BBQ grills, the type you’ll need may vary depending on the exact cause of the fire. A versatile choice, powder fire extinguishers are suitable for use on Class A (combustible materials such as wood), Class B (flammable liquids such as gasoline) and Class C (flammable gases such as barbecue gas) fires. 

Another type of fire extinguisher for barbecue safety is a foam fire extinguisher that works to combat Class A and Class B Fires by smothering the flames with a cooling foam agent. The CommanderEDGE 6ltr High Performance EnviroFoam is a more environmentally friendly choice than many foam fire extinguishers thanks to its low fluorine content.

How to prevent grill flare-ups

When using charcoal, you should only use enough to cover the base of the barbecue with a depth of around two inches. Use firelighters to start the barbecue and avoid petrol or flammable liquids as these are extremely volatile and can quickly cause a large fire.

Knowing how to stop a grease fire on a grill from happening ultimately boils down to consistent cleaning of the cooking surface and the inside of the grill. Without proper cleaning, heated grease can accumulate, liquify and vaporise, which can ignite a fire. If this happens, turn off gas and leave the lid open to let grease burn off.

How to stop grill fires

In the case of a gas grill catching fire, the first thing you should do is attempt to turn the burners off. If you can reach the knobs safely, this will help stop additional fuel from feeding the fire and creating a larger problem. Close the grill lid (if your grill has one), as a lack of oxygen will help to ease the fire and slow it down. Finally, use a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames using the PASS technique – pull, aim, squeeze, and sweep. Once the fire has been extinguished, make sure to switch off any burners on the grill that are still on. If the worst happens and you’re unable to contain or extinguish the fire, you’ll need to direct your guests to a safe area and call the local fire service.

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The content of the CheckFire blog is for general information purposes only. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy at the time of publication, under no circumstances should it be considered professional advice. Any reliance you place on the information is at your own risk. Always seek the advice of a fire professional for your particular circumstances and requirements.

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