Crime & Safety

FCFRD News Blog : Grilling This Weekend? Learn How To Avoid Becoming A Statistic!

Going to do a little cooking on the grill this weekend? Did you know that grill fires cause an estimated $149 million in direct property ...

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Press release from the FCFRD News Blog:

June 4, 2021

Going to do a little cooking on the grill this weekend? Did you know that grill fires cause an estimated $149 million in direct property damage each year across the United States?

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According to our partners in safety at theNational Fire Protection Association:

  • July is the peak month for grill fires (18%), including both structure, outdoor or unclassified fires, followed by June (15%), May (13%) and August (12%).
  • In 2014-2018, an average of 19,700 patients per year went to emergency rooms because of injuries involving grills.** Nearly half (9,500 or 48%) of the injuries were thermal burns, including both burns from fire and from contact with hot objects; 5,200 thermal burns, per year,were caused by such contact or other non-fire events.
  • Children under five accounted for an average of 2,000 or 39%, of the contact-type burns per year. These burns typically occurred when someone, often a child, bumped into, touched or fell on the grill, grill part or hot coals.
  • Gas grills were involved in an average of 8,900 home fires per year, including 3,900 structure fires and 4,900 outdoor fires annually. Leaks or breaks were primarily a problem with gas grills. Ten percent of gas grill structure fires and 22% of outside gas grill fires were caused by leaks or breaks.
  • Charcoal or other solid-fueled grills were involved in 1,300 home fires per year, including 600 structure fires and 600 outside fires annually.

    • How to dispose of coals if you used charcoal for grilling:

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  • Before going to sleep or leaving the area, douse the fire with water and make sure the area is cool to the touch.
  • Empty the coals into a metal container with a tight-fitting lid that is used only to collect coals.
  • Place the container outside and away from anything that can burn.
  • Never empty coals directly into a trash can.
  • Store the charcoal starter fluid out of reach of children and away from heat source

    • Please take a moment to watch the video below to learn how to grill safely.

    This press release was produced by the FCFRD News Blog. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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