Warmer evenings and longer days signal the ideal start to backyard fire season. This is exactly the time of year when many of us start hanging out in our outdoor living spaces with friends and family. We’ve dusted off the patio furniture, bought the bug repellant candles, and stocked up on firewood for our inaugural backyard fires.
Before you get that first fire roaring, take some time to ensure that your backyard fire will be a safe one. Even in the best conditions, fire is an unpredictable force of nature. Always keep safety at the top of your mind to protect your home, property, and loved ones around the fire.
Space is Key in Fire Safety
Some of the worst fires get started in the most undramatic fashion. Someone dumps ashes that are still smoldering too close to the home. A gust of wind sets a nearby tree alight. Kids run around with smoke curling off of sticks and lean them against something they shouldn’t. The tragedy is that very small mistakes can set off catastrophic fires.
One of the best ways to guard against these mistakes is to make sure your fire is isolated from anything that you would not want catching fire.
- Backyard fire pits should be far from the house and any nearby trees.
- Firewood needs to be stacked far from the open flame.
- Use screens and stone to contain the fire area to a defined space.
- Never let kids run around with sticks that have been in the fire.
- Skip the fire on windy days when hot ashes can travel to trees and houses.
- Don’t move hot or warm ashes from the firepit.
- Clear the surrounding ground area of dead leaves, needles, and sticks.
Before starting any fire near your home, look around and consider all the things that you want to protect from the flames. Then take safety precautions to make sure your fire will stay exactly where it is set.
Finally, make sure your outdoor water is turned on and that your hose is attached to the faucet before you start your first fire. If you need to extinguish a fire quickly, you’ll need that water source to be ready to go.
Be a Fire Safety Educator
You are ultimately responsible for what happens on your property. If you have friends and family over for a backyard fire, take that responsibility seriously and educate your guests on fire safety. While this may seem like a bit much, never assume that everyone knows how to behave around a fire. The homeowner should always consider that this may be someone’s first fire experience.
Take time to speak to children about your rules for the fire. Make sure they know what they can and cannot do near it. If multiple children are present, talk to them as a group so that no one can claim they didn’t know the rules or followed what a friend did. When kids break the fire rules, follow through on consequences. No one likes to be the bad guy during social time, but preventing the lifetime damage of severe burns is always worthwhile.
When adult guests are showing signs of alcohol or drug impairment, it may be time to put out the fire for the night. Of course, it’s common to enjoy an adult beverage by a nice fire. Unfortunately, when drinking gets out of control, so does safety. If you have older teenagers or young adults living in your home who host backyard fires, set clear boundaries and expectations for safety.
Protect What Matters with Safe Backyard Fires
No one likes to think that their backyard fire could burn down their home, or their neighbor’s home, but it does happen. The best way to prevent an out of control fire is to be safety-conscious every time you start one.
Do you know if your homeowner’s insurance covers your backyard firepit? Contact us to go over your policy and make sure you’re protected in the event of a house fire. At Smyrl Insurance, we educate, nurture, and empower homeowners through insurance so they can be confident in their coverage. We can go over your existing policy to help you determine if you have the best coverage for your individual circumstances. We serve clients for personal, business, and property insurance in Hatfield, Lansdale, Souderton, Harleysville and throughout Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.