Smokers and Fire Danger

At the peak of summer we are reminded of the devastation done by bush fires. Smokers have been known to start fires in a number of ways.

Do not use smokers on days of high fire danger and total ban days. The smokers are a fire ball, ready to take off the moment they have increased air. This can happen in many ways from sparks coming out of the smoker as we use it, smokers falling over or sparks flying from a smoker on the back of a vehicle.

So, practice good fire safety at all times; light smokers where there is no material or debris that can ignite, do not put a smoker down on combustable material during or after use, and always have water easily accessible in case of fire.

If you are carrying a smoker on a ute or truck make sure it is closed (ie the smoking spout filled with something that will not burn) or better still, carry it in a closed metal container.

I have a large outside paved area for lighting and leaving my smoker. To extinguish it faster I lay it on its side provided I am there to watch it. Even then I have returned after a few hours to find smoke still coming out. The only safe way of extinguishing a smoker is with water. I tip the contents into a metal bucket half filled with water. If you tip contents onto the ground or cement you will have a large fire as the needles ignite into flames in the open air.

Happy Beeking!