Fire Safety in Your Holiday Lodge

With the weather heating up and a dry summer predicted ahead, it is worth thinking now about fire safety in your holiday lodge.

Cooking outside your holiday lodge

Fine and sunny weather of course raises the mouth-watering prospect of barbecues and outdoor cooking this summer. Before we move on to more general fire safety advice, it is worth reminding yourself of outdoor cooking best practice.

  • Remember to always check with the park you are on about their rules regarding barbecues.
  • Learn to use a barbecue safely. Make sure you read the manufacturer’s instructions if you have a bought barbecue.
  • Make sure your barbecue or stove is a safe distance from your holiday lodge and from your neighbours. Pay special attention to awnings and outdoor furnishings too.
  • Keep barbecue fuel and firelighters away from the barbecue.
  • Never leave a fire or barbecue unattended.
  • If you are regularly cooking outside, consider a stone, concrete or brick platform on which to place your barbecue. You could also consider building a permanent brick barbecue which cannot be accidentally tipped or knocked over. 

Fire prevention inside your holiday lodge

  • Fit smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
  • Keep a fire extinguisher near the door
  • Keep a fire blanket near the stove
  • Always switch off and unplug your appliances when not in use
  • Check hobs are turned off before going to bed
  • Get your gas and electrical appliances checked and serviced at least once a year
  • If you use fuel cannisters, make sure they are safely secured and regularly maintained
  • Make sure ventilation is adequate and free of blockages
  • Avoid using candles in your holiday lodge. Keep a torch and consider having emergency lighting installed so that you don’t need to reach for candles in the event of a power outage. This can also greatly assist in evacuating your lodge should you need to, especially when smoke has had a chance to build up.
  • Know your escape routes and keep them clear. Regularly check window latches, handles and hinges are in good working order. A window you rarely use may prove crucial in an emergency. Give it a once over every now and then to make sure it is not broken, painted shut or too stiff to open in an emergency.
  • Reduce clutter in your holiday lodge
  • Don’t smoke or smoke outside if you need to. Regularly empty ashtrays.
  • Keep lighters and matches safely away from children.

In the event of a fire in your holiday lodge 

  • Leave the building
    Make sure that everyone gets out safely. Even if you are trying to deal with the fire yourself in the seconds after you detect it, instruct everyone else to leave and stand a safe distance away. If you are holidaying on a park, make sure you understand the park’s own fire protocols.
  • Know how to put out different types of fire
    Smother fat fires with the fire blanket and/or a damp cloth. DO NOT pour water on them as the fat burns hot enough to convert it immediately into steam and release the oxygen in it, which then acts as more fuel for the fire. It can lead to the fire getting rapidly out of control. Use a dry fire extinguisher for electrical fires. DO NOT use water on an electrical fire as this can lead to electrocution.
  • Call the Fire Service.
    When everyone has safely left the building, dial 999 and keep a safe distance away. Do not re-enter to retrieve property.

This is a marketing article from Park Home Assist, multi award-winning providers of holiday lodge insurance. If you would like to speak to an advisor regarding insurance for your holiday lodge, please contact our friendly team in our Northampton office on 01604 946 796.

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Published – 05/08/21