Cooking in the summer may include many barbeque meals and there are safety precautions to follow and keep in mind to avoid injury or building damage.

Steinbach Fire Prevention Officer Cindi Klassen-Krahn says the first step is to make sure the barbeque is a safe distance away from the house, about three to five feet, then open the lid before opening the propane tank, turning on the heat and igniting the flame. She notes some propane barbeques are started differently and the owner's manual should be referred to for the lighting directions.

With a charcoal barbeque, Klassen-Krahn says lighter fluids should be kept in a safe place away from heat, children or pets. She adds the lighter fluid, or any flammable product, should never be used once the fire has already been lit. Klassen-Krahn notes, once the barbeque is not in use anymore, it should be given time to cool down, then may be moved back into its place.

"With propane, you want to make sure that as soon as your food is cooked, you turn your burners off and you turn your tank all the way off. You don't want to leave that pressure in the hose because it will probably cause problems down the road. If you think about it later on when you finish your meal and you're not sure if you did [turn it off], it doesn't hurt to check."

Klassen-Krahn shares her experience with a fire starting on her barbeque at home.

"We were barbequing chicken and it's always busy at supper time, you're preparing vegetables, you're preparing salads, whatever you're doing. You run inside to do something and you come back out and the next thing you know, you have two to three-foot flames because this awesome chicken just loves the fire."

She notes the turned the propane and heat off, sprayed the chicken down, waited for it to cool off and then ate pizza for supper instead.

La Verendrye MLA Dennis Smook recently gave a presentation at the legislature explaining how important barbeque safety is, after an incident at their cabin where the barbeque started on fire shortly after the chicken had been placed on the grill.

"There were flames on the bottom part of the barbeque by the propane tank, so I got everyone to leave the house and I got a fire extinguisher and went around to the back and gave it a shot with the fire extinguisher. It went out temporarily but flared back up again. We basically cleared back because I didn't know if the safety relief valve was going to go off or not. Once the safety relief valve let go, I knew that it wasn't going to blow up. We grabbed garden hoses and just kept hosing it down until the propane burned off."

Smook notes he was one to think a large barbeque fire would never happen to him. He says it's good to take precautions before it's too late, adding if the barbeque had been closer to his cabin, there would have been significant damage caused to the structure.

If a fire does occur, Klassen-Krahn says to remove the fuel source, turn off the heat and close the propane tank, then water down the fire and wait for the barbeque to cool down. If the fire gets out of control, she says it's best to call 911 and have the fire department extinguish and contain the fire.

Meanwhile, Health Canada offers the following tips for a safe barbeque season:

Storing:
    Raw meat should always be stored in a refrigerator or cooler at 4ºC (40ºF) or below.
    If you are storing raw meat in a cooler, make sure that it is packed with ice and that it stays out of direct sunlight. Avoid opening it too often.
    Ensure meat products are well sealed so their juices don't come in contact with other food products, thus avoiding cross-contamination.

Cleaning:
    Remember to wash your hands and other utensils, like cutting boards, countertops and knives, carefully with soap and warm water before and after handling raw meat. This helps to avoid cross-contamination and prevent the spread of foodborne illness.

When you grill:
    Colour alone is not a reliable indicator that meat is safe to eat. Meat can turn brown before all bacteria are killed. Use a digital food thermometer to be sure.
    To check the temperature of meat that you are cooking on the barbecue, take it off the grill and insert a digital food thermometer through the thickest part of the meat.
    If you are cooking a beef hamburger, take the patty from the grill and insert a digital food thermometer through its side, all the way to the middle.
    If you are cooking more than one patty, or several pieces of meat, be sure to check the temperature of each piece.
    Use clean utensils and plates when removing cooked meats from the grill.
    Remember to wash the thermometer in hot, soapy water between temperature readings.
    Always remember to keep hot food hot until it is ready to serve.