How To Avoid Summer Fire Hazards

Summer is a great time to kick back, relax, take a few extra days off and enjoy family and friends. As we spend a lot of time outdoors, we also want to be safe as there are many activities during the summer that while very enjoyable and relaxing, can also potentially cause a fire hazard and damage to your home.

Our Emergency Moving Expert, Joe Geary, has complied a short list of activities and tips to help make the rest of your summer is relaxing and safe along the way.

Grilling

Who doesn’t love grilling outdoors during the summer – it is a national pastime! However, this fun activity can be dangerous unless proper guidelines are followed. Avoid a fire hazard with these easy tips:

• Make sure your grill is far enough away from the house. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends at least 10 feet away from your home or any tree branches.
• You should also take the time on several occasions to inspect the grill and any parts. That includes any type of connections, hoses, connections to a propane tank or any other connections in the grill. Replace any parts if necessary.
• You also need to clean out the grill below the burners. Grease can accumulate in the grill and a grease fire is very difficult to put out.

Overloaded Circuits

During the summer, electrical circuits can become overloaded, mainly due to the use of air conditioners. Overloaded outlets and circuits carry too much electricity, which generates heat in undetectable amounts. The heat causes wear on the internal wiring system and can ignite a fire. Prevent the dangers that can occur by overloading an outlet with these helpful tips:

• Do not plug more than two appliances into an outlet at once. Never “add on” additional appliances to extension cords or outlets.
• Major appliances that are heavy power users such as air conditioners, refrigerators, stoves, dryers, washers, etc. should be plugged directly into their own wall outlet.
• Know the amount of power you are placing on an outlet or circuit. Typically, it should not exceed 1,500 watts.

Outdoor Equipment

Make sure outdoor equipment is in good shape and particularly outdoor extension cords. If you are using any type of lawn care equipment that uses an extension cord, inspect these on a regular basis. If your outdoor equipment is powered by gasoline, it should always be kept away from your house and high traffic areas and stored in a well-ventilated area at least 50 feet away from any open flame or spark source (i.e. pilot lights, space heaters, etc.).

Fire Pits

We all love sitting around the fire pit on a nice weekend evening. Remember these helpful tips so you can stay safe!

• First, make sure your city or town doesn’t have any type of restrictions on having a fire in your yard. If they do, make sure you adhere to them.
• Have your fire pit at a safe distance from your home, at least 10 feet.
• Never use any type of gas or accelerate to start the fire and make sure you are paying attention to the wind including direction.
• It’s best to have a garden hose ready any time you want to have a fire.

Around The House

Make sure you are storing any type of flammable products (including paint, pain removers, fertilizer, gasoline, cleaning products, etc.) in the right place. Here are some tips when storing flammable and combustible liquids:

• Store in a cool, well ventilated area away from ignition sources and incompatible materials.
• Store only in approved safety containers, and the containers should be kept outside the house and garage in a separate storage shed.
• Limit the amount of flammable and combustible liquids to the necessary minimum.

Summer is a great time to kick back and relax but being safe should be your number one goal.