Do you have a fire safe attitude?

Nothing puts a damper on your favorite summertime activity like a fire or an injury. Hill Air Force Fire Department urges you to follow these safety tips and adopt a fire safe attitude so that your activities are remembered only for the fun.

Matches and lighters

• SBlt Always keep matches and lighters out of the sight and reach of children.

Discourage your children from picking them up and encourage them to tell an adult if found.

Smoking material: Use the ashtray and not the roadway.

• During the summer months, Hill AFB Fire Department sees an increase in grass and brush fires that start from discarded cigarette butts tossed into roadside dry grass. With summer temperatures increasing daily and humidity dropping, fuels along mountain sides and urban interface areas increase fire potential.
• Homeowners in urban interface areas need to take precautions to prevent fire spread by clearing combustibles away from homes and cabins (defensible space).
• Extinguish and discard cigarette butts in an appropriate metal container or ashtray.

• Read the owner's manual prior to operating a gas grill, also make sure propane tanks are secured and not stored in direct sunlight.
• At every propane tank/bottle change, check the fittings to ensure proper seal and fit.
• Open the lid while igniting gas barbecue burners or wait five minutes to allow the gas to clear if the barbecue does not light. Explosive flame-up may occur if you fail to do so.
• Never leave your barbecue unattended, especially when children are around. Always have a hose, or fire extinguisher nearby in case of fire.
• Keep clothing, towels and hot pads away from flames and use long-handled barbecuing utensils.
• Use charcoal lighter fluid sparingly and with caution. Never squirt "just a little more" once the fire is lit (even if it is just smoking) as the fire can shoot back up along the stream and explode the container.
• Always discard spent briquettes and warm ashes in a metal can far away from combustibles (such as a deck or siding). Briquettes can stay hot and burn through paper bags or plastic buckets for hours after a fire is extinguished. It's safest to wait one full day before removing used briquettes from barbecue.
• Store unused briquettes in a dry place away from potential ignition sources and combustible materials.

Gasoline safety

• Never smoke or strike a match or lighter while fueling a chain saw, ATV, lawnmower, or other gasoline engine. Invisible vapors present can be dangerous and explosive.
• When refueling your lawn mower or other gasoline-powered yard equipment, always turn off the engine and avoid spilling gas on hot exhausts.
• Keep gasoline in an approved container with a tight fitting lid/cap to keep flammable vapors inside.
• Never store gasoline in an enclosed area or in the presence of an ignition source.
• When re-fueling gas containers, never fill them while container are in a vehicle or truck bed. The container needs to be placed on the ground and insure the nozzle stays in contact with the gas container.

Wood refinishing & staining products

Refinishing products containing linseed and other oils generate their own heat. Cotton rags wadded up or folded can spontaneously ignite.

• Read and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
• Lay rags flat to dry on a non-combustible surface or place them in a metal container partially filled with water and cover with a tight fitting lid.
• Never place rags in washer, dryer or rag bin. Rags will retain oil and start their own self heating.

Fireworks safety

Fireworks are not allowed on Hill Air Force Base or in Military Family Housing.

If you live off base you need to check with your local city or fire department and find out what fireworks are legal. Most cities along the Wasatch Front are under extreme fire restrictions.

• Always follow the label instruction and have an adult present at all times.
• Use fireworks only outdoors in a clearing at least 20 feet, (30 feet for aerial devices), away from buildings and vehicles.
• Keep a bucket of water or garden hose ready.
• Fireworks may be discharged from July 1-7 and July 21-27.
• Remember that new aerial devices can travel up to 150 feet in the air, so extreme caution should be exercised.
• Hours for discharging fireworks are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. except on July 4 and 24 when the hours are extended to midnight.

The best and safest plan is to attend a professional fireworks display.