Simple Steps for Campfire Safety
Probably the most common thing everyone should know would be to keep water near by at all times. You can’t be too effective at putting out a fire if you have nothing to put it out with. If your at home, you can always keep a water hose near by or some buckets of water just incase a fire spreads. Make sure if your camping to take note of where water is located whether it being a faucet from the ground, a bathroom or even a lake or river if you had to.
If a fire starts to spread and you have no water to suppress it, you’re pretty much out of luck and should call your fire department right away. Sand and dirt can also be used to suppress fire but it depends on how big your fire really is or else it could take a lot of dirt or sand.
Always make sure you build your fires properly and never too big. It’s always recommended using fire pits so it’s more organized and harder for fire to spread outside of it. You can be taking a big risk by just having a fire on bare dirt surrounded by grass. Taking simple steps like digging a pit can help remove these commonly overlooked risks. Another thing to look for would be if you have any low-lying branches or trees around where your fire will be.
Obviously branches pose a dangerous problem because if the flames caught hold of them, they would go up instantly and so would the tree and that could lead to other trees sparking a massive blaze. Always use a fire pit whether it’s a steel cylinder built pit or even a pit made of bricks. Caged fire pits are probably the best bet but most people enjoy open flamed fires.
Location plays another key role in building your fire. If your in a very wide open back yard or field, taller fires shouldn’t pose much of a problem but you still need to make sure its no where near any tall grass or brush. If you’re looking to setup a fire in the woods, then you need to build it smaller. Make sure you build it just enough to where it produces the amount of light and heat you want but its not scorching trees and branches around you.
If your building a fire in a campground, you need to take tents, campers, trees, tall grass, and more into account when building your fire. Thankfully most campsites today have caged pits or steel cylinder pits so you don’t have to worry about it. Most campsites also offer different forms of obtaining water as well.
If you plan on going camping or having the family over for a fire, you should take these tips into mind so you can prevent any careless accidents or injuries. Most accidents from fires are normally contained at some point but can cause lots of damage to nearby structures or forests. Simple tips like these can go a long way in preventing any accidents or injuries. They should also be common sense but some people don’t have any idea when it comes to fires in general.
