Managing Wild Fire Risks

The British Retail Consortium (BRC), whose members include most of the relevant major brands such as Aldi,  Amazon, B&Q, B&M, CoOp and Tesco, have recently revised their guidance on disposable barbecues.
The advice was written following input from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and VSG members should be aware of the possibility of lobbying retailers to remove disposable BBQs from sale.

The guidelines follow three key principles:

1. Retailers will respond to reasonable, evidence based requests to remove disposable BBQs from sale. Retailers will have systems in place to notify stores within their network to remove disposable BBQs from sale.

2. Retailers should consider removing disposable BBQs from sale once an extreme heat event has been declared as imminent. Retailers should also monitor the Fire Severity Index, and decide whether a local or national ban is necessary.

3. Retailers and online sellers will advise their customers on the safe and responsible use of disposable BBQs. On-pack is the primary channel for information, but shelf edge warnings may also be provided. Details should also be shared by online sales outlets.

Advice to customers should be:
1. Only use in suitable, safe areas, with plenty of space around the BBQ, ensuring you follow any local rules or guidance on their use. Never use in enclosed space.
2. Never leave a BBQ unattended.
3. Have a bucket of water or sand nearby for emergency use.
4. Follow the safety instructions provided
5. After use, ensure the BBQ is completely cool before disposal. Empty cold ashes onto bare garden soil – not into a bin.

View the full guidelines document

There is more information about managing the risk of wild fires on our website; including lots of advice from the recent workshop at Winter Hill.