Keep Your Cool with Summer Fire Safety Tips

There is something quintessentially summer about roasting marshmallows over a crackling campfire. Even though mine are always the ones to blister and burst into a gooey inferno, I enjoy campfires as much as anybody. I would even say that I'm drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

But if fires are not created and put out in a controlled setting, summer fires can cause serious danger. Kinnelon-Butler Patch asked Chief Jim Bosch how to prevent this type of situation. His practical advice, which covers topics from barbequing protocol to storing pool chemicals, will reduce your risk of starting a fire in your home or at your campsite.

Here are a few of his tips:

• When cooking with a barbeque grill, do not wear loose-fitting clothing because it could catch on fire. Make sure your grill is placed at least 15 feet from your house, or other structures, and at least three feet from combustible materials, like the railings of a deck or plants. 
• When cooking with charcoal, do not cook in a closed space because carbon monoxide will be released from the coals. Also, do not use lighter fluid on a grill once the fire has already started. The flames can ride up the liquid back into the canister and explode.
• For campfires and barbeques, make sure to wet ashes completely before disposing of them. Do not let fires burn out unsupervised. People have been known to dump the ashes in flammable areas before they have cooled and they can cause brush fires.
• Build small campfires where the fire cannot spread and never leave them unattended once they are built. It is best to keep a means of extinguishing the fire handy just in case you need it quickly.
• If you are using one of those campfires that are built on your deck, make sure to follow the directions about how to control the fire. If you do not, you're taking a risk.
• Safely store propane tanks, lawnmower gasoline and pool cleaning materials by placing them in a cool, dry place outside of the home.
• Before mowing your lawn, make sure your mower is well-maintained and full of gas. Never refill the motor while the machine is still running.
• If you have an air conditioning unit in the window, do not overload the circuitry by plugging several electronics into the same outlet. A few years ago, the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Co. went to a house fire that was caused by this and half of the house burned down, Bosch said.