Skip to content

Barbecues

​Keep a bucket of water, sand or a garden hose nearby for emergencies whenever you BBQ and be sure to follow our safety tips below. See the video below from the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service:

How to barbecue safely

  • Never leave a barbecue unattended
  • Follow the safety instructions provided with disposable barbecues
  • Make sure your barbecue is well away from sheds, fences, trees, shrubs or garden waste
  • Use enough charcoal to cover the base of the barbecue, but not more
  • Keep children, pets and garden games away from the cooking area
  • After cooking, make sure the barbecue is cool before moving it
  • Empty ashes onto bare garden soil, not into dustbins or wheelie bins
  • Enjoy yourself, but don’t drink too much alcohol if you are in charge of the barbecue
  • Never use a barbecue indoors because of the amount of Carbon Monoxide (CO) gas they emit
  • Never store gas cylinders under the stairs
  • When using a gas barbecue, remember to turn the gas supply off first and then the barbecue control

Be carbon monoxide aware

  • Never use disposable barbecues, camping stoves, camping heaters, lanterns, or charcoal grills or disposable barbecues inside as using these indoors can cause CO poisoning
  • Fumes can still be present many hours after you have used them – levels high enough to result in CO poisoning
  • Opening tent flaps, doors or windows is insufficient to prevent the build-up of CO concentrations from these devices

Visit our avoiding fires in the home page for advice on how to check your home. You can download a checklist and find out how to apply for a visit should you need more help.

The Government website has a useful information ‘Fire safety outdoors’ leaflet you can download and display.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service logo

Welcome to Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service

It looks like you're using an old version of Internet Explorer. In order to have the best experience possible with this site, please update your browser to the latest version of Microsoft Edge, or use a different browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.x

Download Google Chrome   or   Download Mozilla FireFox