Outdoor Fire Safety
Follow our fire safety advice to stay safe outdoors;
Countryside Safety
- Avoid open fires in the countryside. Always have them in safe, designated areas
- Put out cigarettes and other smoking materials properly before you leave your vehicle
- Don’t leave bottles or glass in woodlands. Sunlight shining through glass can start a fire. Take them home or put them in a waste or recycling bin
- If you see a fire in the countryside, report it immediately
- Don’t attempt to tackle fires that can’t be put out with a bucket of water – leave the area as soon as possible
- Never throw cigarette ends out of car windows – they could start a fire and endanger lives.
Bonfires
- Site the bonfire well away from houses, garages, sheds, fences, overhead cables, trees and shrubs
- Never leave the bonfire burning unattended
- Build the stack so that it is stable and will not collapse outwards or to one side
- NEVER use flammable liquids - paraffin or petrol - to light the fire
- Don't burn foam-filled furniture, aerosols, tins of paint and bottles
- Keep everyone away from the fire - especially children, who must be supervised at all times
- Pour water on the embers before leaving
Barbeques
- Follow the safety instructions provided with disposable barbeques. Never use a barbeque indoors
- Never leave a barbeque unattended
- Make sure your barbeque is well away from sheds, fences, trees, shrubs or garden waste
- Keep children, pets and garden games away from the cooking area
- After cooking, make sure the barbeque is cool before moving it
- Empty ashes onto bare garden soil, not into dustbins or wheelie bins. If they’re hot, they can melt the plastic and cause a fire
- Store gas cylinders outside, away from direct sunlight and frost
- Make sure the tap is turned off before changing the gas cylinder
- After cooking, turn the gas supply off first and then the barbeque control. This will stop any gas from leaking
Camping and Caravan
- Fit and regularly test a smoke alarm in your caravan
- To avoid a build up of poisonous gases make sure the caravan is ventilated, and never block air vents
- Never use candles in or near a tent – torches are safer
- Don’t smoke inside tents
- Never bring a barbeque inside a tent or caravan. They create deadly carbon monoxide gas which will soon fill an enclosed space suffocating all sleeping inside