It's pretty hard to fathom a summer
long weekend—especially the Canada Day long weekend—without the
accompaniments of grilled hot dogs and burgers. Nothing quite says
warm-weather festivity like the smell of barbecued food. If you're
planning on firing up the grill in commemoration of our great
nation's natal feast, be sure to observe the safety tips provided
below in order to keep your celebration safe and fun.
Only use your gas or charcoal
grill outdoors. Unless you have a grill that specifies it is
for indoor use (such as a small electric grill) this is an appliance
that should only be used outdoors. Certainly, we understand the
temptation to violate this safety rule: when you're planning a
cookout for many people, and the weather does not cooperate, you may
think that moving your outdoor grill indoors would be one way to
thwart torrential rain. This is highly dangerous though. Plan on a
backup method of cooking your food instead, like roasting in the
oven, pan-frying, or using indoor grills.
Read your manual. This
sounds so mundane to the enthusiast who just wants to light up the
grill and feed masses, but the importance of this step really cannot
be emphasized enough. There may be aspects of operating a grill that
seem intuitive to you, but there are safety features specific to each
particular grill that you have no way of knowing about unless you
read the manual. Consult with it at least once at the start of every
“grilling season” and also keep it handy while you work.
Keep your grill clean.
Your barbecue doesn't need any extra help flaring up: the fuel that
ignites it, and the grease from the food that it cooks are already
highly flammable. For this reason, any added residue on your grill is
just asking for trouble. Removing grease and ash regularly will help
your food to cook more evenly, and more safely too.
Work in an open, spacious area.
Operating your grill in an open area minimizes this risks of small
items drifting towards the grill and catching fire, and of larger
objects (or even people) accidentally hitting the grill. Above all
though, being in an open area means there will be adequate
ventilation, which is of paramount importance: as pleasant as is the
aroma of food cooked outdoors, smoke poisoning is serious, and is to
be avoided at all costs.
Be prepared for the possibility
of fire. Of course, you want to do everything you can to
minimize this risk, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't anticipate it
anyway. In the event of a grill that catches fire, you should be
ready to deal with it right away so that it does not spread. You
should have a fire extinguisher handy, and be very familiar with its
operation. You should also be aware of how to cut off the grill's
fuel supply quickly and correctly. Working in a zone free of debris
and clutter will reduce the risk of a fire that spreads. Also, you
should never, ever leave the grill unattended (of course).