Enjoy Your Fire With These Safety Tips

Spring is around the corner, which means now is the perfect time to gather around your fire pit, relaxing with your favorite people. Take some time tonight to enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate while roasting s'mores over a cozy fire, all in the comfort of your backyard. Having a firepit is fun! But having to call the fire department is not fun.

Read on for some easy ways you can enjoy your firepit safely and responsibly, especially if you have little ones running around. 

Tips for Building the Perfect Fire

Maybe you don't use your firepit as often as you'd like because you are unsure how to build the perfect fire or you're concerned about firepit safety. There's no need to be concerned when you follow these fireside safety tips:

• Use a grate. The perfect fire needs perfect airflow, so it makes sense to use a grate when starting your fire. The Walden Fire Pit Grate can be used in a fire pit or even directly on the ground to lift the wood off the ground. The firepit grate supports air flow and helps the fire have the oxygen it needs to get started.
• Use a fire starter. Sure, you can use newspaper and kindling to start your fire. But your kindling may not be dry enough, and you might not have enough newspaper lying around. If you want to guarantee that your fire will start on the fire try, use a Walden Backyard Sure-Fire Starter. Guaranteed to light even under tough conditions (like wind or rain), the Walden Backyard Sure-Fire Starter will stay lit for up to 15 minutes, ensuring that you have a great base from which to build your fire.
• Feed the fire slowly. Once you have a flame, start small. Use small, dry pieces of wood at first and work your way up to the big logs.
• Use dry, dead wood. Use wood that is completely dry and completely dead. Wood that has been recently chopped from a tree (also called green wood) has a lot of water in it and will smoke. You're not creating a rescue fire here or practicing your smoke signals, so be sure to use wood that's dry! Check out our blog on How to tell if your firewood is dry enough to burn.
• Have lots of firewood. Firewood burns more quickly than you might think. You don't want to be in the middle of that decadent cup of hot chocolate only to run out of wood. Have twice as much firewood as you think you'll need. If you don't use it all, then you'll be ready for a campfire next time.

Tips for Enjoying the Perfect Fire

Now that you have your fire, it's time to enjoy it! 

• Wear appropriate clothing. When working around the fire, wear appropriate clothing. Now is not the time for your flowy shirts and swirling skirts. You want the fire to stay in the fire pit.
• Use a poker. Never reach into a fire with your hands or feet. Instead, use the Walden Blow Through Fire Stoker Poker. You can get a Walden poker up to 48 inches in length so that you can stay a safe distance from the fire as you push the logs back into the flame. The poker also lets you blow air into the fire from a safe distance and has a one-way valve to ensure you're not inhaling smoke or ash.
• Have an extinguisher nearby. Whether it's an actual fire extinguisher, bucket of sand or water, running hose, or the Walden Fire Pit Snuffer Lid, always have something at hand for you to douse the fire quickly.
• Keep the fire size appropriate. Use logs that fit in your fire pit or designated fire area, and don't let the fire get too big for the area you're using. Cinders can travel a surprising amount of distance. If you want your neighbors to see the fire, don't make it too big, just invite them over! 
• Shield the fire. Pay attention to the direction the wind is blowing and try to shield the fire from the wind. You can do this by sitting on one side of the fire (this will also keep the smoke out of your eyes) or building up your wood pile on the side the wind is blowing from.

And the most important tip of all: have fun! You'll have nothing but good memories this fall as you relax and socialize around your fire pit safely and responsibly. Contact us today so that we can help you build the perfect fire pit in your backyard.

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