Firefighters Offer Grilling Safety Tips

The Memorial Day holiday is a time to remember for some and a time to gather with friends and family for others. No matter your way of spending the holiday, many people choose to barbecue and fire officials have some tips to stay safe.

Joann Farstad who spent Monday at Rock Park having a picnic says the holiday is important to her family. 

"We have a lot of people who've served including my father, several nephews and nieces all serving," says Farstad, "we celebrate that to remember the times that our family and our friends and people we didn't even know have sacrificed you know their lives and their time."

With a big family, that Farstad says loves to eat, and beautiful weather Monday, her family decided to use their new grill. She says they keep safety in mind when setting up. 

"We start with an area where we make sure that the kids aren't going to be spending a lot of time around," says Farstad, "we just basically have everyone kind of in the adult fashion, monitoring it, in that corner."

Fire fighters say you should keep your barbecue out of the way at home as well.

"You can keep your barbecue sort of out of the way from most of your entrances and exits to the home," says Jeff Cates with the Reno Fire Department, "that way the kids running in and out of the house into the backyard, during the summer, they're enjoying themselves and they're not running right past you."

He says you should keep your grill clean, especially the bottom, clearing out excess coal and grease deposits. 

"... when it gets hot again it will reignite and then you'll have a grease fire," says Cates "the best plan is, you can keep your grate seasoned, but you want to keep the bottom of that grill nice and cleaned out."

If you are using propane, check the hoses and fittings for any leaks.

"If you do end up grilling with a leak, that leak can lead back to the tank and you can have an explosion or a pretty significant fire, that you won't be able to control."

If you are using charcoal, fire fighters say to dispose of the ashes in a metal container after they have cooled to the touch.