Fire safety for your summer home away from home
June 6, 2019
The kids are out of school and you’ve saved up your vacation days, so you know what that means: cabin time! You’re probably itching to get up there, air the place out, and stock up on marshmallows and bait. But while you’re making all the preparations for the perfect cabin getaway, don’t forget to check fire prevention and safety off your list.
Does your cabin have a kitchen? That’s the room where most fires in Minnesota start, so you’ll want to take some extra precautions there. Keep anything combustible (like towels, oven mitts or paper towels) well away from the stove. And always make sure the knobs on the stove are in the “off” position.
It’s early summer yet, so the nights up at the cabin might still be chilly. How are you staying warm? If you’re using a space heater, don’t forget to turn it off before you go to sleep – and never leave it unattended. If your cabin has a furnace, treat it just like the one you have at home: have it serviced by a professional every year.
Carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke alarms save lives – but only if they work. Make sure your cabin has both smoke and CO alarms, be sure they have fresh batteries, and test them once a month. They’ll give you and your family the seconds you need to escape.
But how to escape? Make a plan, and practice it with everyone who stays at the cabin. Your escape plan should include two ways out of every room and a meeting place outside and away from the cabin.
Hopefully you’ll be spending plenty of time in the great outdoors – perhaps around the fire pit? If so, follow these tips for outdoor fires:
Use a fire ring that’s 25 feet from anything combustible.
Keep a bucket of water handy.
Make a three-foot kid-free and pet-free zone around the fire.
Never leave the fire unattended, and make sure it’s completely extinguished before you go to bed.
Use paper, bark, or other natural kindling to start the fire – never use gasoline.
You’ll enjoy your cabin getaway that much more knowing you’ve taken the proper precautions for fire prevention and safety. They won’t take long, and after that you can get down to the important business of having a fun summer vacation.
