Leadership

BBQ Safety: Fire Protection Group Has Tips for Summer Cooks

With the summer grilling season now in full swing, an association committed to fire prevention has launched its annual campaign to help families have  safe cookouts.

As the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day was just the first of many chances for families to gather out back around a grill and have a good time. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) took the opportunity to remind expert and amateur grillers everywhere how barbecue safely this summer.

According to NFPA, which releases its grilling safety tips around this time each year, gas grills were involved in average of 7,100 home fires per year from 2006 to 2010, while charcoal grills and other types were involved in an average of 1,200 home fires annually.

“Grilling season is a great time of year for friends and families to have cookouts and tailgate, but before starting the season, be sure your grill is working properly and review safety tips,” NFPA’s vice president of communications, Lorraine Carli, said in a statement. “Leaks or breaks were the leading factors contributing to gas grill fires. It is good practice to check for damage before using it for the first time each year, and better practice to clean and check on the state of the grill regularly.”

This year, NFPA enlisted ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor Hannah Storm to help raise awareness about grilling safety. Storm was severely burned in a gas grill accident at her home in December.

She shared her story in a video interview and recorded several public service announcements for NFPA, like this one:

“I didn’t read my grill safety instructions and I didn’t know, I flat out didn’t know,” Storm said in one of the videos. “I don’t want this to happen to anybody else, ever. If I can make anybody think twice as they’re grilling—I just can’t bear the thought of anybody going through this unnecessarily. I just can’t bear it.”

NFPA also updated its grilling safety webpage, which includes more safety tips, fact sheets, and other resources.

(Fuse/Thinkstock)

Rob Stott

By Rob Stott

Rob Stott is a contributing editor for Associations Now. MORE

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