Fire Pits
           Everyone loves a good fire pit for summer enjoyment. Nothing is more comforting than sitting around a nice fire and talking with family and good friends, especially on a cool summer night. This is a way of life for thousands of people every year.
           There are many places where you can buy a great fire pit, and many people make their own. If you want to buy one you can click here to see some of the best in the business. They have a wide selection for you to choose from.
           If you want a fire pit in your backyard, there are some safety issues that you need to be aware of before you put one there. You want your experience to be a good one and not have to worry about your safety. This article will show you some of the fire safety suggestions from a state fire marshal.
Safety Steps
- Keep Your Pit Outdoors
You have a fireplace for indoors, pits are not made for indoors. You need to keep both propane and wood pits outdoors for your safety. If ashes should fly out of your pit, it could set your house on fire. They are also not vented for indoor use, so you could get an unsafe build up of gasses in your home that could be dangerous. Keep these pits outdoors.
- Keep Your Fire Pit Away from Your Home
You want to make sure that your structure is at least ten feet away from your home. You do not want the flames to catch your home on fire. You also want it ten feet away from decks, railings, and the eaves of your home: https://www.firemarshal.ks.gov/193/BBQ-Grilling-Backyard-Fire-Pits. You just want to keep it away from anything flammable that is attached to your home.
- Keep Children and Pets a Safe Distance
Your children and pets will want to be around the fire, as well, but you want to make sure that they are safe, so keep them a safe distance from it. They should be at least ten feet away from the pit, as well. This way they are not as likely to trip and fall into the flames. Safety of your children and pets should be your number one concern.
- Never Leave Your Pit Unsupervised
You will want to keep an eye on your structure – wind changes can cause ashes to fly away from the blaze. If this happens, you want to be as close as possible to be able to put out any stray flames from the ashes. You should have a hose or fire extinguisher next to you in case this happens.
- Place Your Pit on Non-Flammable Surface
You will want to put your fire pit on a non-flammable surface to prevent the fire from spreading. You can use bricks or patio stones to place under the structure. You can also put it on a concrete slab or anything else that will not catch fire. This will protect the rest of your yard from catching fire.
- Do Not Place on a Wood Deck or Grass
Of course, you would not want to place your fire structure directly on your wood deck or on the grass. This is just asking for it to get out of control. You want your structure to be a calming addition to your yard, not an invitation for the fire department to show up. You must be very careful about where you place it.
- Clear Flammable Materials
You want to clear an area of at least five feet from around your fire container. This will help to keep the risk of spreading. You do not want any grass around the structure. You might want to put stones or bricks in those five feet that is cleared around it. This can help you to enjoy your evening longer without having to worry about putting the blaze out.
- Pit Should Be Six Inches Deep
You will want to keep the structure at least six inches deep and about two feet across to keep the fire contained. If you are using a commercially built fire container, this should already be happening. If you are building your own, you will need to follow these guidelines.
- Check Wind Direction
Before you light it, make sure you know which direction the wind is blowing. You will want to make sure that you remove anything that is flammable that is downwind of your pit. This will help prevent it from spreading.
- Do Not Use Lighter Fluid
You do not want to use lighter fluid or any other flammable fluids such as gas to light your blaze. This can get out of control and cause burns if you are not careful. Instead, use a commercial fire starter stick and lots of kindling.
