# ***Grilling Smoking & Fire Safety Tips***



## fwismoker (Apr 24, 2017)

I'm sure there's lots of these threads on here somewhere but it's always worth mentioning especially coming into grilling season.    Please share any tips you have as well as stories or pictures that pertain to the topic. 

While we're grilling or smoking for our family and friends safety should be a primary concern.   Whether you use an electric, charcoal or wood fire in your cooker all the elements are there to ruin your weekend or cause serious damage to property or lives. 

Elements needed for a fire:  Take away pieces from the pyramid and you can't have fire

1) Fuel

2) Heat

3) Oxygen

Common sense tips if you have a fire. 

If you have an electric smoker- Pull the plug and close the lid/doors. Seal up the cooker and *deprive the fire of oxygen*

Propane cookers- Turn off the knobs and close off the valves to your tank.  Seal up your cooker and *deprive it of oxygen. *

Charcoal or wood burners- There's no luxury of killing the fuel so you gotta* kill the oxygen supply*.  Close the doors, intakes and exhaust.   

Must do's and haves.   

1) Do keep a charged fire extinguisher near your cooking equipment

2) Do not leave smokers or grills unattended- *where there's smoke there IS FIRE! *  I know many of you love your automatic temp controllers but they won't automatically put out your fire if you have one!

3) Keep a welding blank nearby- This could be used to smother your fire 

4) Keep your cooker a safe distance away from other flamables...i.e your house or garage. 

5)* ***Use caution when your cook produces lots of grease***   *

6) Keep welding gloves close by in case you need to pull burning food out or close the cookers lids/doors as to not burn yourself. 

Since we're dealing with animal fats flammable grease is our primary concern.   Let's talk more prevention.

1) Clean the grease/gunk build up in the bottom of your cooker.  I'm not saying you have to clean it with soap and water but at least scrape out the heavy stuff. It will just add fuel to your fire. 

2) Double pan your drippings pan if you use one...especially foil pans.   A pin hole leak dripping on your heat source can lead to a fire.   

3)  Use sturdy drip pans. Foil can bend and spill grease so be careful or use heavy duty foil pans.  The last thing you want is to spill or have your greasy drippings spill over your electric/propane burner or wood/charcoal fire.

Let's not have this happen.  Stay safe and grill safely this Summer!!!













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## crankybuzzard (Apr 24, 2017)

Great post and great info.

I would like to add that kids and pets can get curious about the cooking instruments, so keep a close eye on them as well.


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## browneyesvictim (Apr 24, 2017)

I would be curious what the percentage is of folks that BBQ, smoke or otherwise cook on their deck- wood, composite, or otherwise combustible material. How many will admit to burn marks from embers on their decks or anything else around?


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## myownidaho (Apr 24, 2017)

No ashes in the garbage can unless they've been thoroughly soaked. Don't use water to put out a grease fire.

When I started smoking I used your basic charcoal fueled Brinkman. Because it was on a wooden deck, I had it sitting on a drip pan. One morning I went outside and found the smoker laying on it's side and multiple burn holes through the deck, one had even started working on the joist it was sitting on. My lab had knocked it over the night before because well, she was a lab and it smelled like food. After that, the charcoal pan was Soaked down when the smoking was done.


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## sauced (Apr 24, 2017)

Excellent reminder!!!

Points for trying to keep us all safe!


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## tropics (Apr 24, 2017)

Living in the city Vinyl Fences all around,I built a fire wall by my gas grill.It came in handy back in Jan. 2015













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The fire was in my neighbors shed I had 3 propane tanks by that grill

Richie













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Anyone using a Turkey Fryer Wrap aluminum foil around the hose


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## browneyesvictim (Apr 24, 2017)

tropics said:


> Anyone using a Turkey Fryer Wrap aluminum foil around the hose


I'm not following this Richie. Are you meaning to protect the GAS hose from the tank to the propane burner from drips of oil or something more catastrophic?


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## tropics (Apr 24, 2017)

Browneyesvictim said:


> tropics said:
> 
> 
> > Anyone using a Turkey Fryer Wrap aluminum foil around the hose
> ...


Yes the foil will help shield the hose


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## chilerelleno (Apr 24, 2017)

Nothing like good advice and pretty pictures to help remind of us to be aware.


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## amlong88 (Apr 24, 2017)

Very good topic to bring up.


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## dcarch (Apr 24, 2017)

_*"---1) Do keep a charged fire extinguisher near your cooking equipment----"*_

There are different fire extinguisher types for different kinds of fire.

dcarch


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## ryanmn (Apr 24, 2017)

Would have been nice if you posted this before I started a grease fire a few days ago which destroyed the 40lbs of pork shoulder I was cooking for 30 people...


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## fwismoker (Apr 24, 2017)

RyanMN said:


> Would have been nice if you posted this before I started a grease fire a few days ago which destroyed the 40lbs of pork shoulder I was cooking for 30 people...


Ouch!  Glad it it was only the meat that got hurt.  (yes that stinks!)    Tell us what happened in your case to cause the fire and how could you have prevented it.


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## ryanmn (Apr 24, 2017)

FWIsmoker said:


> Ouch!  Glad it it was only the meat that got hurt.  (yes that stinks!)    Tell us what happened in your case to cause the fire and how could you have prevented it.



I use a Masterbuilt propane smoker, and my first mistske was I overloaded it. Although there are 4 racks, each large enough to hold a single shoulder, it was too much meat. In order to keep the temp at 250 I had the burner on high rather than medium which is more than sufficient to heat the cooker to 250 with one shoulder. The large quantity of meat meant way more fat and grease drippings, which was more than the drip pan could contain and the excess spilled near the flame which was higher than usual. Excess grease + excess flame = bad combination. Also didn't help I probably didn't have the inside as clean as it should be, grease was on the sides. Anyways, lesson learned is keep a cleaner smoker and don't over load


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## myownidaho (Apr 24, 2017)

dcarch said:


> _*"---1) Do keep a charged fire extinguisher near your cooking equipment----"*_
> 
> There are different fire extinguisher types for different kinds of fire.
> 
> dcarch



My recommendation for our situation would be a CO2 extinguisher.


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## fwismoker (Apr 24, 2017)

RyanMN said:


> I use a Masterbuilt propane smoker, and my first mistske was I overloaded it. Although there are 4 racks, each large enough to hold a single shoulder, it was too much meat. In order to keep the temp at 250 I had the burner on high rather than medium which is more than sufficient to heat the cooker to 250 with one shoulder. The large quantity of meat meant way more fat and grease drippings, which was more than the drip pan could contain and the excess spilled near the flame which was higher than usual. Excess grease + excess flame = bad combination. Also didn't help I probably didn't have the inside as clean as it should be, grease was on the sides. Anyways, lesson learned is keep a cleaner smoker and don't over load


Grease in contact with any type of flame would ignite.  You'll never have it overloaded ad much again but definitely keep a deeper drippings catcher than you might ever need. 

Thanks for sharing. Your story might save someone else some damage and heartache!


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## fwismoker (Apr 24, 2017)

dcarch said:


> _*"---1) Do keep a charged fire extinguisher near your cooking equipment----"*_
> 
> There are different fire extinguisher types for different kinds of fire.
> 
> dcarch


An ABC extinguisher is the most common and would be good for most peoples needs.

A) Paper, wood, plastic etc...

B) Gas, oil, grease etc...

C) Electrical


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## myownidaho (Apr 24, 2017)

FWIsmoker said:


> An ABC extinguisher is the most common and would be good for most peoples needs.
> 
> 
> A) Paper, wood, plastic etc...
> ...



The only downside with an ABC extinguisher is that the powder is designed to stick and coat. Cleanup is a pain in the rear. I've had to shut down commercial kitchens that were closed for days because the fire was extinguished with dry chem. If that's what you have available, what you can afford, and have the space for, go for it. It's absolutely better than nothing. If you can swing a 5# carbon dioxide extinguisher, it will remove the oxygen and cool down the fuel without creating the mess. If it's an electrical fire, unplug the unit and it ceases being an electrical fire. 

In the end, purchase what you're comfortable with, but make sure you have something.


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## fwismoker (Apr 25, 2017)

MyOwnIdaho said:


> The only downside with an ABC extinguisher is that the powder is designed to stick and coat. Cleanup is a pain in the rear. I've had to shut down commercial kitchens that were closed for days because the fire was extinguished with dry chem. If that's what you have available, what you can afford, and have the space for, go for it. It's absolutely better than nothing. If you can swing a 5# carbon dioxide extinguisher, it will remove the oxygen and cool down the fuel without creating the mess. If it's an electrical fire, unplug the unit and it ceases being an electrical fire.
> 
> In the end, purchase what you're comfortable with, but make sure you have something.


That is true they are messy.   My first concern would be stopping the fire.   There's some cans on Amazon called TUNDRA.  I wonder if those make a mess...they're aerosol cans


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## myownidaho (Apr 25, 2017)

FWIsmoker said:


> That is true they are messy.   My first concern would be stopping the fire.   There's some cans on Amazon called TUNDRA.  I wonder if those make a mess...they're aerosol cans



Well would you look at that. I just ordered a pair on Amazon for $25. These are made for incipient stage fires, so I would still have a backup extinguisher that could handle something larger.


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## SmokinAl (Apr 25, 2017)

I have an extinguisher in the kitchen, and one outside on the patio.

Al


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## fwismoker (Apr 25, 2017)

MyOwnIdaho said:


> Well would you look at that. I just ordered a pair on Amazon for $25. These are made for* incipient* stage fires, so I would still have a backup extinguisher that could handle something larger.


Dang big words I had to lookup! lol   I knew what you meant but have never heard that word before.  ha

Yea I think those could handle a grill grease fire if you catch it before it gets to an inferno. lol


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## dcarch (Apr 25, 2017)

Also, your local building code may have regulations for outdoor grills.

If your house fire is caused by a non-compliant grill, good luck with your insurance claim.

dcarch


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## phatbac (Apr 25, 2017)

I think the main thing is to use common sense and don't panic if you have a flare up. and it wouldn't hurt to do a safety minded inspection on your set up and surrounding areas.

I had a situation about 6 weeks ago where i i was getting my smoker (Black Betty) up to 425 degree in the cook chamber to steam cleaner (use a garden hose) well the fire in the firebox got bigger than i meant and it got about 550 in the cook chamber and the residual grease there ignited  and i had a grease fire in my cook chamber. It was a raging fire so *i kept my cool* and closed the cook chamber door and closed the dampers on the firebox and the firebox door and starved the fire from oxygen.  I let it cool down a few hundred degrees and spray it out for steam cleaning. i am more careful how big a fire i build now. i had a fire extinguisher (ABC) ready just in case but luckily for me i didn't have to use it.

Please everyone get a fire extinguisher and.be safe when cooking. This hobby is a lot of fun but lets do it without loss of limb or property!

Happy and Safe Smoking,

phatbac (Aaron)


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## dirtsailor2003 (Apr 25, 2017)

If you use a propane smoker and it goes out make sure that you turn off the gas before opening the door. Allow the gas to dissipate prior to re-lighting it.


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## fwismoker (Apr 25, 2017)

Definitely a wealth of knowledge and wisdom on here. Lots of good info and common themes. 

Prevention is the key but it's sure good to know what to do and have the right equipment on hand if one does occur.


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## myownidaho (Apr 25, 2017)

FWIsmoker said:


> Dang big words I had to lookup! lol   I knew what you meant but have never heard that word before.  ha
> 
> Yea I think those could handle a grill grease fire if you catch it before it gets to an inferno. lol



Lol! Every now and then, some of those fancy words I learned in the academy in the late 80s come in handy. [emoji]128512[/emoji]


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## fwismoker (Apr 26, 2017)

Definitely a wealth of knowledge and wisdom on here. 


MyOwnIdaho said:


> Lol! Every now and then, some of those fancy words I learned in the academy in the late 80s come in handy. [emoji]128512[/emoji]


One of those words you might be able to pull out 2 or 3 times per decade. 


MyOwnIdaho said:


> Lol! Every now and then, some of those fancy words I learned in the academy in the late 80s come in handy. [emoji]128512[/emoji]


What academy...AF, Naval, Police?


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## myownidaho (Apr 26, 2017)

FWIsmoker said:


> Definitely a wealth of knowledge and wisdom on here.
> One of those words you might be able to pull out 2 or 3 times per decade.
> What academy...AF, Naval, Police?



Fire academy. I spent 30 years riding fire engines and ambulances.


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## fwismoker (Apr 26, 2017)

MyOwnIdaho said:


> Fire academy. I spent 30 years riding fire engines and ambulances.


Ah I didn't think of Fire Academy.  I went to fire school in the Navy.  You get a fire on a submarine it better get put out quick!


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## krj (Jul 29, 2017)

Threads a couple months old now, but the thought of a fire extinguisher brought me lookin. I've decided to build a table to inset my weber kettle, my pbc, have a pull out propane burner for easy(I'm always out of newspaper) charcoal chimney lighting, plus having some room to store a couple bags of charcoal and the odds and ends that I have. I'm not so worried about the heat of the kettle or pbc catching my table on fire, but it dawned on me that maybe I should have a fire extinguisher figured into this plan. I'll likely end up with a dedicated propane grill at some point, so what type of extinguisher do you lot recommend? I'd prefer it if the extinguisher was located somewhere on my new table, which means that it will be outside in the vastly varying elements of Kansas.


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## phatbac (Jul 29, 2017)

I recommend a fire extinguisher that handle grease fires. Electrical and grease if you own an electrical smoker.  ABC rated is what i have and it was around $20 on amazon. 

Safe Smoking,

phatbac (Aaron)


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## krj (Jul 29, 2017)

Is an ABC type going to withstand the freezing temperatures of winter? That's really my biggest concern. Also, what kind of cleanup would be necessary after using an ABC type on a grill/smoker.


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## pit 4 brains (Aug 1, 2017)

dcarch said:


> _*"---1) Do keep a charged fire extinguisher near your cooking equipment----"*_
> 
> There are different fire extinguisher types for different kinds of fire.
> 
> dcarch


But not_ too _close. Extinguishers should be located along an escape route and away from the potential fuel source. If there was an extinguisher near the fires pictured, I doubt anyone would hang around to use it. If it were 15-20 ft. or more away, you stand a better chance of getting yourself safely away from the fire while being able to fight it if it is safe to do so..

Just for gee whiz, I checked out some of the ABC extinguishers we have around the hangar. Some say to "start 8 feet back" and some say 10 feet. So that's a good reason enough to keep them a decent distance away..


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## bluewhisper (Aug 2, 2017)

I have an ABC extinguisher mounted on a wall in the garage, halfway between the door to the kitchen and the door to the patio where the grills are. Since I'm burning sticks in an offset, I stand little chance of a runaway fire, but of course a kitchen brings its own risks. I run the smoker on concrete, either on an open slab behind the garage, or on the covered patio if it's raining.

I've seen pics of damage to vinyl siding when a smoker was too close to a wall. There was no fire but it was still an expensive mistake.


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## Tydeorum (Dec 31, 2017)

Good info. I know this is old, but I it's right in subject for me. 
I had a grease fire start this morning, nothing was lost and it was put out easy enough. I have a masterbuilt propane smoker. This is my first I have used it. I believe it was because I didn't use a good enough drip tray under the pork butts that allowed it to over flow and catch fire. I plan on running a deeper water water try and adding a 2" hotel pan above the water tray. If fix this problem, should I have any more worries about a grease fire?


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## gmc2003 (Jan 6, 2018)

Just keep your stereo close by:

Sorry I forgot you can't post outside links. But look up sonic fire extinguishers and 
see what a couple of kids invented. They used base sounds to extinguish fire.
Chris


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## mcokevin (Jan 9, 2018)

browneyesvictim said:


> I would be curious what the percentage is of folks that BBQ, smoke or otherwise cook on their deck- wood, composite, or otherwise combustible material. How many will admit to burn marks from embers on their decks or anything else around?


One of my first smokes I lit my chimney on my patio.  It's cement, so no lasting damage but it sure discolored the paint and caused some serious blistering.  Easy to chip away and re-paint, but good lesson.  Now if I need to light on the patio (due to rain) I put a brick paver on top of the patio to use.


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