BBQ party tonight

[Grumpynan]

We have planned a family get together this evening with a charcoal bbq in the garden. I hasten to add it’s a proper one not disposable.

should we still go ahead, or should I play save and cook the food indoors, what’s everyone else doing,

I mean, it stresses disposable bbq, says nothing about kettle ones in a garden. But I don’t want to cause any problems, and tbh we have a lot of trees around us and I’m a little worried, DH says I’m being silly but ?

It’s open flames that are the issue.

Were you going to use disposable BBQs?

Precisely but, as usual, some think they’re exempt and too important to listen.

This is getting to covid levels of crazy already on here. We are going to a BBQ this evening for a family birthday, they have a gas BBQ in a paved outdoor kitchen area, my brother has already said he will have two large buckets of water and the hose to hand next to the BBQ. Where is the risk? It's not by a fence, and there are options close to hand in case of a freak accident. The alert didn't say anything about gas BBQs, look at countries who have this drought every summer they don't freak out and cancel their lives. They risk assess and put a plan in place.

The warning specifically references bbqs at home by saying they should not be left unattended and should be fully extinguished which suggests they are not banned. Disposal bbqs and fires in the wild are a much greater risk. That said, theres always a risk and the advicd also says, more vaguely, to avoid activities that could start a fire.

So imo you are 'allowed' but you have to balance any potential, albeit relatively negligible risks, but also the wider sentiment of your family, neighbours etc. The caveat is i guess local councils could make their own, stronger rules, so check that out first.

I dont think this one is a decision for mumsnet but the opposing opinions are going to be brutal. Opinions are different to facts though, so make your own choice

There is no ban, because it's unenforceable.

But firefighters are very stretched, and so it wouldn't hurt for all the people who can be bothered to just change plans.

Your DH won’t find it silly if your lawn, trees, house and all your belongings go up in flames, not to mention neighbouring houses and people’s lives being put at risk . Check out the videos of the houses in Stourbridge. Fires get out of hand very very quickly and parties tend to involve alcohol where people aren’t necessarily being careful. Don’t have a BBQ, we have been told not to for very obvious reasons. Take the cooking indoors.

This is entirely inaccurate information. Sparks will fly from a charcoal BBQ and could easily set light to surrounding trees.

And some people are clearly too stupid to read. The guidance actually says to not leave household BBQs unattended. It is absolutely fine to have a BBQ at home.

Fucking hell, this is going to be Covid all over again.

Just don’t. It’s not exactly a hardship to go without a bbq!

Earlier this week, before the fires in the West Midlands, the kids were asking about having a bbq. We just cooked it all indoors and we have a proper gas bbq on a patio, well away the grass, and trees/shrubs etc. The risk was minimal, there was no ban in place of any sort and yet we still didn’t think it was a good idea.

Maybe if people started thinking less selfishly and more about how they can reduce risks down and do what we can to ease pressure on the fire service, we will get out of this crisis a bit sooner. Maybe we could have avoided it in the first place too…

This is entirely inaccurate information. Sparks will fly from a charcoal BBQ and could easily set light to surrounding trees.

I would love to study why people are so keen to put restrictions on themselves.

The alert says don’t do anything that could start a fire. Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a wildfire. It lists a few things but it isn’t a definitive list

Surely people can just be extra cautious at this time and be mindful of their neighbours etc.

It’s not just stray sparks. The invisible plume of heat that rises up from a gas barbecue is immense - if there’s any vegetation overhanging at all it’ll go up like a torch.

We are in an incredibly dangerous situation and you could literally be waving goodbye to your house or those of your neighbours. There’s no situation in which it’s worth taking any risks.

Some people have a vague sense of social responsibility and aren’t just interested in suiting themselves?

I don't think they are, they're keen to judge others and tell then what to do, most on here saying you must avoid all outdoor cooking weren't even planning to do that this weekend anyway they just want to police other people

All because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Yep. People will be on the local facebook groups ratting out Sandra & David at number 43 for using a gas barbecue.

I would consider using one if certain conditions were met, i’m in the north and although its been hot we have had some rain over last few weeks and so maybe other areas are drier and more at risk - I wouldn’t use it if I was one of the areas with a hosepipe ban which hasn’t seen a drop of rain for weeks.

If I was going to use a barbecue I would only use it on a paved area away from any vegetation and with nothing overhead (no washing lines, string lights etc). I would have fire blanket, extinguisher and buckets of water ready. I would hose down the ground around the barbecue so it was damp. I would definitely not let anybody who is drinking alcohol be in charge of the barbecue. I would not leave the barbecue unattended. After use I would fully extinguish the coals with water. I would only use a barbecue with a lid so if there was wind it could be covered.

To be honest though it would sound like too much faff and still a risk, plus I think likely to annoy some neighbours considering the alert, so I would probably just cook another way on this occasion.

Yep, I'll get the Dettol out 😂

What they said 👆.

How on earth do we have grown adults in this world who think that charcoal + flame + tinderbox conditions = a risk worth taking because I want a bloody bbq.

Nah, it’s absolute delight that there’s a restriction in place for which people can judge others, then a desperate baying to ensure it extends well over what’s actually been said, regardless of risk assessment for the specific circumstances.

So much easier to cook inside!

This is entirely inaccurate information. Sparks will fly from a charcoal BBQ and could easily set light to surrounding trees.