RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Between the hot, dry conditions of late summer, the high winds that can kick up this time of year, and all the cooking and grilling going on, there are lots of opportunities for innocent holiday activities to turn into dangerous fires that could force you to spend your long weekend in the local burn unit. And as the wildfires in California remind us, being responsible about your weekend activities protects more than just your house; it will keep your neighbors out of harm’s way, too.
Whether you're staying at home to host a weekend barbecue or heading out for one last chance to commune with nature, here are three ways to prevent fires and burns this Labor Day weekend.
#1: Fires at the campsite.
Camping is a great way to spend some quality family time together, as long as that family time is spent safely at your campsite and not at a hospital burn unit. Officials at the Oklahoma State Department of Health have found in their research that 90 percent of campfire-related injuries occur when people come into direct contact with the flame, with the remainder caused by hot coals.
Stay safe fireside by:
• Wearing close-fitting clothing. Avoid scarves or long skirts if the weather cools down after dark.
• Never use flammable liquids or lighter fluid to start a fire or to keep it going. Use newspaper or dry wood instead.
• Keep a bucket of water close by at all times.
• Place your campfire at least three feet away from anything else, especially dry vegetation.
• Always, always put out a campfire at least a half hour before you go to sleep or leave the area. When extinguishing a burning fire, stir the wood and ash with a stick first to extinguish the flames as much as possible. Sprinkle water over the wood and coals, and stir it with the stick. Keep doing this until you don't hear any hissing or see any steam.
• Lay off the booze. In 2005, doctors from the University of Washington reviewed six years’ worth of burn patients' medical records found that 81 percent of adults with contact burns from campfires were intoxicated at the time.
#2: Burns at the grill.
Commercials make light of overly enthusiastic barbecue grillers who spray too much lighter fluid on the coals, leading to massive explosions and singed eyebrows, but the U.S. Fire Administration, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, estimates that fire departments respond to 6,500 grill fires every year. Only 150 injuries are related to those fires, but the mishaps do cost homeowners $27 million in property losses.
Protect your property, and your eyebrows:
• Make sure your grill is working properly and isn't cracked. The U.S. Fire Administration's statistics show that 43 percent of grill fires happen because of mechanical malfunctions. If you use propane, check the tank for leaks by brushing soapy water around the joints; look for bubbles, which indicate a leak.
• Grill on flat surfaces. This won't be a problem if you're on a backyard deck, but if you're at a park, look for level surfaces that won't cause the grill to tip over unexpectedly. When you are at home, keep the grill away from overhanging branches that could catch fire.
• Start the fire with matches or chimney starters, not lighter fluid.
• Use long-handled tools to keep away from flare-ups.
• Dispose of the ashes properly. Simply dumping ashes into a plastic can or a paper bag could cause house fires if those ashes are still hot and smoldering. Empty charcoal ashes into a metal can and mix them with water, but stay back to avoid steam burns. After letting the ash-and-water mix sit in the can for a week, they're safe to empty it into the trash (you don't want add them to your compost pile, as charcoal ash is high in sulfur oxides that can kill plants).
#3: Sparkler burns.
Most people set off fireworks around the fourth of July, but according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 30 percent of fireworks-related injuries occur before and after that star-spangled holiday. And two-thirds of those injuries involve burns.
If you plan on setting off fireworks as a last hurrah to summer, stay safe:
• As with campfires, booze and cherry bombs don't mix. Appoint a "designated sparkler lighter" so he or she won't get blurry-eyed and hurt someone while shooting off projectiles.
• Keep a safe distance. In addition to burns, fireworks can cause eye injuries, which account for 20 percent of fireworks-related afflictions. Protect yourself from both by standing 20 feet away from where you're setting off a firework.
• Use flat sidewalks, not gravel driveways. And keep your firework launchpad away from dried leaves, dry grass, and your house.
• Light them on the ground, not in your hand. Fireworks can be unpredictable. If you light them while holding them, the engines could start unexpectedly, or they could move sideways without you realizing it.
• Keep that water bucket handy. Like campfires, fireworks can get out of control. Also, you can pour the water over spent fireworks that land back on the ground to prevent bare-footed revelers from stepping on them and burning their feet.