ASSINIBOIA--Assiniboia Fire Chief, Terry Lacelle, said July included five calls for service. The AFD team responded to two false alarm calls, tw motor vehicle rescue calls and one STARS landing.
In their team’s continued commitment to training, Chief Lacelle said members participated in live burn training in their training structure and drafting/wildland.
This month’s safety topic, presented by the AFD team includes grilling safety.
Did you know that in 2014, 16,600 patients went to emergency rooms because of injuries involving grills? Summer are peak months for grill fires (17%) including both structure, outdoor or unclassified fires. Leaks or breaks were the factor in 11% of grill structure fires and 23% of outside and unclassified grill fires.
AFD provided residents these statistics, “Gas grills contribute to a higher number of home fires overall than their charcoal counterparts. A failure to clean the grill was the leading factor contributing to the fire in one fifth of all grill structure fires (19%). In 175, something that could catch fire was too close to the grill.”
It is important to not become complacent when using backyard grills, smokers and barbecues. Any activity that involves a fuel like propane or natural gas needs to be used with caution. It is important to keep your propane tank up to date.
Ensure your gas supply is shut off completely when done with the grill, to prevent an accident the next time it is used.
Large grease and food remnant deposits can cause large flare ups that may not be easily managed, so it is important to keep your backyard grill clean.
