Fire Pit Safety

8/20/2019 (Permalink)

Safety Tips When Using Your Fire Pit

Fire pits are perfect for your outdoor gatherings. The fire pit is a beautiful addition to your landscaping and a great way to complement and add a relaxing ambiance to your property. 
SERVPRO of Morton Grove/East Niles wants to make sure you are keeping you and your property safe by following these safety tips!

Fire Pit Location

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   Make sure to place your fire pit AT LEAST 10 feet away from any structures. This may help prevent sparks from hitting your home and excessive smoke from entering your or your neighbor’s home.
  •    Do NOT place your fire pit under tree branches or on a covered deck. Make sure your fire pit is in a location where the flames and sparks will not hit any objects.

Fire Pit Site Preparation

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   If your fire pit is not built into the ground, make sure you have stone, brick, gravel, or concrete under the pit. This will help prevent the area below the pit from burning. 
  •    You should NEVER place your pit over dry grass or over a wooden deck. This is to prevent any overheating or causing of a spark a fire to the ground below it.

Weather

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   Do not use your fire pit if it is windy. Windy conditions may cause sparks from the fire to fall in an area that is flammable.
  •    When you are using your fire pit, you should observe what direction the breeze is blowing. You should move any object out of the way of where the breeze is blowing to help prevent a fire from occurring.

Lighting the Fire Pit

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   When lighting your fire pit, do NOT use lighter fluid or gasoline to light the pit or to relight fires. 
  •    The easiest and safest way to light your fire pit is to place kindling under the wood.  Kindling can be newspaper, dead leaves, pine needles, wood shaving and small pieces of tree bark.  Place a small stack under the wood in your fire pit and try lighting it instead of the wood.  Once the kindling catches fire, the rest of the wood should also ignite.
  •    You should always keep water nearby just in case the fire inside of the pit spreads.
  
  Before you use your fire pit, you should check your town’s laws on fire pits. Some towns require a permit and an inspection. If the unfortunate happens, call the experts at SERVPRO of Morton Grove/East Niles 847-983-4468, and we will make it “Like it never even happened.”