Campfire Safety Tips

Building a Campfire

Here are a few tips to consider when building a campfire:

• Check for restrictions before building a campfire: Contact the campground office, park rangers, and your local fire department for any restrictions.
• Use designated fire pits: If campfires are permitted, select a location that is downwind and away from your tent. Clear all vegetation and use a designated pit — or dig a small pit and surround it with rocks.
• Don’t build fires with rocks from the water: Use only dry rocks since the moisture inside waterlogged rocks can cause them to boil and explode.

• Never use gas to start a campfire: Don’t use any flammable or combustible liquids. And keep your campfire small, so it’s easier to control.

  Controlling a Campfire

Once a campfire is lit, there are a few tips to consider:

• Never leave a fire unattended: Don’t let kids play anywhere near a campfire. Always extinguish it prior to leaving the campsite or before you go to sleep.
• Take precautions to avoid a wildfire: Dry vegetation can quickly spark into a fire, so do not discard lit cigarettes or matches on the ground or into vegetation.

Extinguish a Campfire

As the evening wraps up, here are a few considerations to extinguishing the fire:

• Keep dirt and / or water nearby to extinguish a campfire.
• For emergency use, pack a fire extinguisher with your camping gear: Select a multipurpose extinguisher that is large enough to put out a small fire (but not so heavy that it’s difficult to handle).
• Choose the right fire extinguisher: Wherever you go, Kidde is here to help you choose the right types of fire extinguishers and properly install and maintain the right solution.
• Pack a portable fire extinguisher: Bring along added peace of mind with safety devices you can take on-the-go, like our variety of multipurpose fire extinguishers, including the Auto/Marine Fire Extinguisher.

Other Camping Safety Considerations

Here are a few additional considerations to enjoy your overall camping trip:

• Use only battery-operated equipment inside the tent: Never use liquid-filled heaters or lanterns, matches, candles, open flames or a barbecue grill inside a tent as they can produce deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gas.
• Pack a portable CO alarm: Bring along added peace of mind with safety devices you can take on-the-go. Kidde offers convenient Battery Powered CO Alarms.
• Monitor safety back home with mobile alerts: Keep tabs on what’s going on while you’re away with real-time notifications sent via the Kidde app. Choose from an entire suite of smart home safety devices, detecting smoke, carbon monoxide, water leaks, frozen pipes, and indoor air quality issues.