This grilling season, NFPA tests your knowledge and demonstrates the proper way to use your grill safely to prevent fires in the video below.

Guy Colonna, NFPA Division Manager, Industrial ＆ Chemical Engineering, gives some basic tipsin the video below about how to prepare your grill before your first cookout of the season.

Grilling fire facts

• July is the peak month for grill fires (18%), including both structure, outdoor or unclassified fires, followed by June (15%), May (13%) and August (12%).
• In 2014-2018, an average of 19,700 patients per year went to emergency rooms because of injuries involving grills.** Nearly half (9,500 or 48%) of the injuries were thermal burns, including both burns from fire and from contact with hot objects; 5,200 thermal burns, per year,were caused by such contact or other non-fire events.
• Children under five accounted for an average of 2,000 or 39%, of the contact-type burns per year. These burns typically occurred when someone, often a child, bumped into, touched or fell on the grill, grill part or hot coals.
• Gas grills were involved in an average of 8,900 home fires per year, including 3,900 structure fires and 4,900 outdoor fires annually. Leaks or breaks were primarily a problem with gas grills. Ten percent of gas grill structure fires and 22% of outside gas grill fires were caused by leaks or breaks.
• Charcoal or other solid-fueled grills were involved in 1,300 home fires per year, including 600 structure fires and 600 outside fires annually.

Source: NFPA's Applied Research
* Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA)
**Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, queried in April 2016

More grilling information

• NFPA news release: Summer season: peak time for grilling fires

• See "Home Grill Fires Tables" report for more details about home grill fires. 

• Plan on taking your grill with you on a camping trip or picnic? Check out our tips that feature fire safe information on charcoal grills, barbecues and hibatchis

 Source: All unedited content provided with permission by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)