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Commissioner Lloyd Ayers Facts & figures  In 2003-2006, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 7,900 home fires involving
grills, hibachis or barbecues per year, including an average of 2,900 structure fires and 5,000 outside fires. These 7,900
fires caused annual average of 10 civilian deaths (to the nearest ten), 120 reported injuries and $80 million in direct property
damage.Although gas grills are
used roughly 1.5 times as often as charcoal grills, they were involved in five times as many fires. Gas grills were
involved in 6,400 home fires, including 2,100 structure fires and 4,300 outdoor fires. One-third (33%) of the home structure fires involving grills started on an exterior
balcony or unenclosed porch, 18% started on a courtyard, terrace or patio, and 11% started on an exterior wall surface. Flammable or combustible gas or liquid was the item first ignited
in half of home outdoor grill fires. In 51% of the home outdoor fires in which grills were involved, 56% of the outside gas
grills, and 29% of the non-confined gas grill structure fires, the fire started when a flammable or combustible gas or liquid
caught fire. facts & figures taken from www.NFPA.org
______________________________________ Grilling Safety
Tips 10 ways to keep
your family safe this grilling season - ·
Do not wear loose fitting clothing while cooking.
- ·
Never, under any circumstances, should children (supervised or unsupervised) be allowed to start outdoor cooking
equipment.
· Barbecue grills are not allowed
on apartment building balconies or decks. - ·
Barbecue grills are allowed on porches and decks of one and two family homes.
- · Never store a spare LPG (propane) container
under or near the grill.
- · Never store LPG cylinders inside
your home.
- · Always turn off the valves when
not in use.
- · When purchasing a gas grill,
select one that bears the approval mark of an independent testing laboratory.
- ·
Do not transport LPG cylinders in the trunk of a passenger vehicle.
- · To
guard against the possibility of damage or explosion, burners tubing, and piping should be clean and free from insects, dust
and debris.
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BEFORE YOU LIGHT THAT GRILL ________________________________________
Grill should be on heat-proof surface Inspect your grill. Make sure there
are no unexpected holes or cracks which have developed in the grill pan. Clean old ash out of grill. It can cause the grill pan to rust.
CHARCOAL GRILLS
When adding briquettes, the general rule is 30 briquettes to cook one (1) pound of meat. Have briquettes extend 2 to 3 inches beyond the area being
cooked on. There are two methods for lighting
charcoal. Pyramid method - stack briquettes in center of grill. Soak charcoal with 1/2 cup of lighter fluid, then wait two minutes to
let fluid soak into briquettes.
Use long match or lighter to light. When
coals burn and ash forms, spread coals out evenly to cover bottom of grill pan. Don't squirt lighter
fluid on hot coals.
CHIMNEY STARTER Remove cooking rack from grill. Place crumpled newspaper in the bottom portion of the starter and charcoal in the top half. Place starter in center of grill and light paper through
holes at bottom of chimney. After 20 minutes, empty coals into
grill and spread evenly.
GAS GRILLS
Inspect the propane tank. It should
be the "new" one put in service in April, 2002. Before making any connections with gas, make sure hoses and piping are clean and free of bugs and dust. Use a soap and water solution and apply
with a paint brush to check for gas leaks. It the soapy water bubbles in an
area of connection, you may have a gas leak. Shut off gas and tighten gas grills.
Use lava rocks. Keep them clean to keep down flare-up. A good method to keep rocks clean is to turn heat on grill up for five minutes after you
have finished cooking. Replace rocks when they don't look clean or begin to break apart. Lava rocks should only be one layer deep.
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