Summer Time Fire Safety Tips from the Bergenfield Fire Department
Summer months are a time to enjoy a multitude of fun activities. The following guidelines are offered to assure that your leisure time allows for the maximum possible enjoyment and doing so in a fire safe manner.
Fireworks
The best and safest way to enjoy and marvel at fireworks displays is at large community type events such as Family Fun Day. Possession and discharging of consumer fireworks, other than sparklers, are against the law in New Jersey. In addition to the potential to start an uncontrolled fire, consumer fireworks are inherently dangerous. Burn injuries can be extremely painful. Fireworks can also cause disfiguring injuries to your body. Our best advice is to avoid contact with consumer fireworks. Go and watch a community fireworks display and enjoy the time spent with your family.
Barbeque Safety
Cooking outdoors on the patio, deck or in your backyard is a time honored tradition that many of us look forward to at this time of year. Remember to keep your grill, smoker or other cooking appliances away from your house, garage and other buildings. Leave at least a five-foot space for all combustibles.
If you have a charcoal type grill keep lighter fluid away from the grill after starting the grill and never add lighter fluid once the grill has been lit. Keep the lighter fluid container away from a lit grill. After cooking, wait for the ashes to cool before removing them from the grill. Dispose of the ashes in a metal container and wet them with water to assure that no glowing ashes remain that could cause a fire. Never place hot ashes from a grill or fireplace in a plastic garbage container, paper bag or cardboard box. Leave the ashes outside in the metal container until the next day to assure that the fires are completely out before disposing of the wetted ashes.
If you have a propane type grill make sure the propane tank is kept in the shade. Do not store a propane tank in direct sunlight. The powerful rays of the sun can cause the propane in the tank to expand and be discharged from the tank's relief valve. If this happens while cooking, the escaping propane gas can ignite causing a fire and could also cause injury to anyone in the immediate vicinity.
Do not store propane tanks in your house or in an attached vehicle garage. Use a shed or outdoor storage bin that provides ample shade to safely store your propane tank.
Recreational Fires
Recreational fires are permitted under the New Jersey Fire Code. When doing so, safety precautions are a must. A recreational fire is defined as an outdoor burning of material other than rubbish, where the fuel being burned is not contained in an incinerator, outdoor fireplace, portable outdoor fireplace, barbeque grill or barbeque pit and has a total fuel area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet in height for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth or similar purposes.
Recreational fires are not permitted within 25 feet of a structure or combustible material. Conditions that could cause a fire to spread within 25 feet of a structure are required to be eliminated prior to ignition. Fires in an approved container are allowed providing that such fires are not less than 15 feet from any structure.