AIBU to think heatwave barbecue reactions are starting to feel a bit Covid?

[PatioDwellers]

To think the bbq/fires in the heatwave responses have the air of Covid about them …

’my neighbour is having a bbq what should I do’, Ring 101, call the fire brigade, take photos, people will die!

tinfoil bbqs in the countryside, tossers and rightly banned.

I was in northern Portugal on holiday nearly two months ago. The land was a lot less dry than ours is now, but they were experiencing high temps of 33 degrees plus. We got daily text alerts on our phones warning us about fire. I see nothing wrong with it, not like covid at all! Afaiac the benefits of having smart phones are highly questionable, this is one way the technology can actually be put to good use.

I got the warning and support the measures - as others have commented I think they should have been sooner. Can I just clarify something though, genuinely and not trying to start a fight or controversy. It’s disposable BBQs that are banned, and not all BBQs? That’s my understanding and in the emergency message I received. I ask as this thread is referring to BBQs being banned a lot, but my understanding is that they’re not. Thanks!

I'll be having a BBQ later just like I have all summer. It's on patio ,a gas one and right night to the hose pipe....oh,hang on 🤣

I think you’ve misunderstood, you can have a BBQ in your own back garden, it’s disposable BBQs that people take out into the countryside and discard carelessly that are banned.

I mean this feels like Covid though, people misinterpreting guidelines.

100%. People are already salivating at the idea of dobbing in their neighbours.

Yes but the arguing on here is like covid. The alert said activities that can start a fire and lists disposable bbqs specifically. A gas bbq on a patio with nothing close that could catch fire would obviously be fine. You’ve just got to use common sense and risk assess yourself.

I think shops are banned from selling disposable BBQs. The alerts message says you should not use them. I suppose that means that they are "banned". But does it matter? Lightning any type of BBQ or flame is a very bad idea atm.

It’s only disposable ones that are banned, fine to have a normal bbq on your patio. Gas ones especially aren’t a risk on concrete!

I’ve just spent the summer in France and we had a large fire near us in Provence which took weeks to put out. Anyway the messaging there is no open fires, charcoal BBQ, cigarette butts thrown from cars (this is plastered along all motorway info boards). When it’s Red Fire Days, so the highest alert, they close all forests for hiking etc and stop any building/farm work that could cause sparks so people had to down tools. You can still use gas BBQs. Loads of campsites there so can’t imagine people not allowed their camp stoves.

We have Big Green Egg here in London and DH was going to cook on it long and slow overnight tonight for a get together. Even though it has not been mentioned in the alert, we’ve decided not to do it. It’s minimal risk (but not zero) but it could worry neighbours who are now twitchy after the alert so it’s not worth upsetting them.

Unfortunately, a lot of the fires in France are started deliberately. The one near us started with an electric fence that was faulty and once it was mostly out someone went and restarted it in three places. They arrested a man and charged him too. No idea how they found him!

i understand
i glared at a smoker yesterday!

Bet Boris is having a lovely bbq with his pals tonight 😂😂

The alerts says "do not undertake any activity that could start a fire". Could a BBQ in your garden start a fire? Yes it could.

It’s a bit bizarre. I don’t think anyone has been banned from using their reusable BBQs in their private gardens

anyhow where I do see similarities with COVID is with hysterical reactions on mumsnet “how dare you even bring this up, do you want to burn everyone, homes have burned AAAA”

Can someone explain the point of the alert?

I'm in France. An alert is issued if you should be ready to evacuate or if you actually have to evacuate. Each region has brought in clearly communicated legally enforcible restrictions about what you can and can't do, which have tightened as the situation has worsened.

This emergency alert in the UK tells people what they shouldn't do, that doesn't seem a very good use of an emergency system to me, and devalues its importance. Anyone who isn't an idiot won't be doing anything they shouldn't, anyone who is an idiot will just carry on.

We had a Patio BBQ yesterday it was to celebrate several different birthdays, anniversary’s, an engagement, exam results, promotion etc. We had 15 people (6 staying over at ours as they had travelled quite far) in the garden at one point. The BBQ itself is a 2 in 1 Gas and Briquette style…we moved it away from the grass/fenced area. It is fitted into a brick outdoor kitchen but can be wheeled out so moved into the centre of our patio…always had someone with it and the hosepipe ready in case something did happen. We also dampened the grass area a little.

There was no issues no one was silly around it as we were all aware and mainly had mocktails and milkshakes it was lovely. It’s hard though as anything could happen with anything (such as an over heated charger) whether your sensible or not.

People were really aware at our BBQ and I think that makes a huge difference. I agree with the ban on disposables though. A friend sent me a picture of people having a disposable BBQ party in a park yesterday near trees and what looked like very dry grass with 6 large BBQ tray things put together. She went over and said to them (I personally wouldn’t have had the guts) that might not be wise given the surrounding conditions they said they would be careful and carried on, she caught one of the teenagers giving her the V sign as she walked off. Possibly bring back park rangers in this instance maybe?

UK doesn’t have the same wildlife firefighter resources (no planes and barely forest firefighters teams, some locally but on national level so they are improvising with what they have 😂

Did you also glare at everyone drinking from a glass bottle?
A discarded glass bottle can increase fire risk.

My ex husband burnt down the neighbours fence and half our garden during a heatwave. The stupid twat had a binfire while I was out and Id specifically said dont do it. One of those metal bins you burn things in.
I wish someone had rung the police on him.
It cost £4000 to replace the neighbours 100 foot high end fence I could ill afford it at the time and it wasnt covered by insurance....obviously. I had to take out a loan.

Shameful comparison for those who lost family from covid. Watch the footage from Stourbridge, and may be you can live with grill sausages instead of barbecued ones for a week it two eh?

Cooking on my gas stove in my house could also start a fire.
A supervised gas BBQ in your garden is fine. My garden has no grass and I’d really have to be doing something strange for it to set fire to the fence.
nb I don’t own a BBQ.

That didn't really answer my question about the use of the alert. What was the point of using a national emergency alert to tell people what they shouldn't do? It just encourages people to go 'Ooo look at George having a barbecue'.

Totally agree. Quick!!! Don't have a BBQ!!!

The disposable ones are a hazard in public and I agree they should be banned. They are bad for the environment and have caused injuries

also hopefully no one is letting off fireworks which is another stupidity in this situation

Your local police want to be told every time someone has a perfectly legal barbecue in their back garden?

I wonder if the people in Stourbridge who've had their homes razed to the ground feel the same way.

OPs post smacks of "wahhh, I wanna, wanna" when told that they can't. Grow up and realise this is for everyone's benefit.