Group urging propane safety

Just in time for that all-American Fourth of July cookout, the Virginia Propane Gas Association is reminding grillers everywhere to be careful with propane grills.

Do:
Follow the grill manufacturer’s instructions and keep written materials handy.
Keep the top of the grill open until you are sure it is lit.
If you smell gas, safely turn off the cylinder valve, turning it to the right (clockwise). Immediately leave the area and dial 911 or call your local fire department. Before you use the grill again, have a qualified service technician inspect your cylinder.
Don’t:
Allow children to tamper with the cylinder or grill.
Use, store or transport propane cylinders near high temperatures, which includes storing spare cylinders near the grill.
Try to be a grill repairman. If you are having grill or propane cylinder problems, see a qualified service technician.
Additional safety tips from http://www.usepropane.com

Between 2004 and 32008, 89 incidents involving propane gas grills resulted in five injuries and total dollar losses of $992,480.
Source: Virginia Department of Fire Programs

“Our idea of fire suppression is prevention,” Dennis Cruise, outreach coordinator for the association, said Thursday. “Propane is a safe, clean product, but you have to use it properly. There are dos and don’ts, and as long as you keep those in mind, it is clean and safe.”

Several of the tips from the association apply before the hamburgers even hit the grill: Check for dents, damage, rust or leaks when you have the propane cylinder refilled, then take the cylinder home imme-diately after filling it. While transporting the cylinder, secure it so that it can’t roll and keep the valve closed and plugged or capped.

Before using a propane grill, use soapy water to check all the connections for tight-ness. Don’t ever use lighters or matches to check for leaks.

Mary Howell, a spokesper-son for the Virginia Propane Gas Association, said that since she started working with the association five years, she has been “shocked” to hear some of the accidents that happen with propane gas grilling.

“A lot of the grill incidents go unreported,” she said.

Some of the safety sugges-tions might seem obvious, such as never pouring an accelerant such as lighter fluid on a grill and definitely not smoking while handling a propane tank.

Then be sure to call the fire department if there is a “significant or uncontrollable release of propane” or a fire begins, the VPGA news re-lease stated.

Howell said that propane is no longer odorless.

“Propane gas has been odorized to increase safety since so many people smoke and drink while they are entertaining and grilling,” she said.

Storing your grill safely af-ter use is also important.

The safest place to store the propane cylinder is outdoors and in an upright position away from ignition sources. When not using the grill, disconnect and cover the hose-end fittings and burner air intakes with protective caps or small plastic bags to keep dirt, insects and moisture out.

Any time the grill is not in use turn off the grill burner controls and the cylinder valve. Then make sure the grill is shut off and cooled down before covering it.

Cruise added that the 20-pound propane tanks com-monly used with gas grills provide enough fuel for about 12-18 hours of cooking.