Fire Saftey

[burksmoke]

As I was smoking some chickens yesterday as I was listening to a local radio station. They announced that my county (Wichita County, Texas) was under a "burn band". We have had very dry conditions here and several tragic range fires in the last couple of weeks.

I'm cancelled my outside cooking for today, we are having 40mph gusts outside right now with very low humidity. I am evaluating what I need to do to prevent starting unwanted fires during my outside cooking operations.

Some of the things I already do include...

Scoop out fire box after cooking into a metal buckets and soak with water.

Supervise the cooker during the entire cooking time (when poss.)

keep water hose handy.

Anybody else have any suggestions on fire safty during dry and windy conditions?

I'm not sure if a "burn band" in my county prohibits all outdoor fires, but I intend to check before I cook outside again.

Randy

 

[jamesb]

Sounds like you got it covered. The most important part is to monitor the smoker during the cook. Also, I always make sure I've got a good fire extinguisher near me too... esp, when cooking away from the house.

James.

 

[bob-bqn]

I was listening to a radio broadcast where our county officals were explaining the burn ban. They said there was no outdoor burning, welding, or fireworks allowed at all. Some area even included jail time and fines if caught. But they explained that you could still use your smoker or grill. They mentioned that it was preferred to use gas equipment but if you used charcoal to do it on a hardened surface, clear the area of all flammable material, and have a water hose at the ready.

I did quite a bit of cooking last week but I used a propane grill & smoker to reduce the risk of fire.

We've been seeing and smelling smoke for a week. :( Please be safe.

 

[cheech]

Well I suspect that they know better than to tell a Texan that he is not allowed to run his smoker.

That is just crazy talk, it's like telling a .... well ya just can not do that.

 

[TulsaJeff]

We have a burn ban here in Oklahoma as well.. a few weeks back I called the local fire department and asked them if I could use my smoker during the ban..

At that time they said yes.. just keep a water hose handy and soak a 15 foot perimeter around the smoker and make sure there are no dry leaves or combustibles around it.

Yesterday our governor made an announcement that they are extending the burn ban to include grills and smokers.

Now that is not good at all...

I understand the reasoning but man.. that really let's the air out of a guys balloon! :(

We have had thousands of acres burned up around here in the last couple of weeks and we need rain more than anything. :(

 

[bob-bqn]

Jeff here is a document release by your state yesterday that you Oklahoma folks should check out concerning the burn ban: http://www.state.ok.us/~okag/redflag/BanGuidelines.pdf

Seems that propane and "indoor" equipment can still be used (Go GOSMS), looks like they didn't want to shut down commercial operations.

Just be careful because even if you follow every guideline for safety, if a secondary fire starts then you are personally held responsible.

 

[TulsaJeff]

Thanks Bob.. that clears things up a bit. Looks like I can still use the GOSM if I get too ansy and can't stand it any longer :D

 

[Dutch]

Yeah, smoke withdrawal can wreck havoc on a person's body chemistry and ego!! :mrgreen:

 

[bwsmith_2000]

Jeff,
Looking good with the new look! Picture is real improvement. If mine looked as good, I'd also post it.

 

[cheech]

Well for all those with a smoking ban you are welcome here in Michigan. Good news it is so cold out that it is like having a walk in cooler to store your meat while it is brining, or waiting to be smoked!