Stay Safe This Summer with Your Landscape Fire Features
Stay Safe this Summer with Your Landscape Fire Features
Summertime is usually filled with barbecues, bonfires, and tiki torches in your landscaping. While, yes, they can be a lot of fun to utilize in your get-togethers this season, there are some safety tips to keep in mind while using them as well.
Here are some easy ways to ensure that your fire features get used safely this summer.
Our Top Fire Safety Tips for Landscaping
First things first, any fire features should be at least 15 feet from your home. This is especially important for fire pits, as an uncovered fire right next to a home could be a recipe for disaster on a dry, windy day. In addition to spacing these features away from your home, also ensure that fire is kept away from any dry leaves, wood, and chemicals.
Here are some other tips and tricks to keep your landscaping accident-free this summer:
1. What to Do on Windy Days
Ideally, you would avoid lighting any outdoor fires on windy days. If you do insist on lighting a bonfire or other fire feature, make sure that you have a water source nearby to extinguish it if necessary.
2. Consider Local Rules and Regulations
Make sure that you check with local and state burn bans and ordinances before using an outdoor fire feature. Fireplaces and fire pits need to comply with national and local fire codes, and some local ordinances may also have limits on sizing to consider as well.
An outdoor fireplace may also need to be up to local building codes as well, so it’s important to ensure they’re checked out beforehand.
3. Consider Firescaping
Firescaping is great for areas that deal with a lot of wildfires, but it can also be a useful tool when you have fire features in your landscaping as well.
It’s a form of landscaping that ensures your property is safer when flames are involved. Here are some great tips for getting started.
Our Final Thoughts on Fire Feature Safety
Checking with local rules and regulations and making small changes in your habits and your landscaping can make a world of difference in your summer of bonfires and barbecues. For those of you interested in firescaping, consider talking to a local landscaping company about getting started. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Homescape Now is happy to get you started on ensuring your property is ready and safe for controlled fires! Contact us for help today.
