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Camping Is No Vacation From Safety

Summer, 2005 - This summer, nearly 50 million people will eagerly leave the cares of the office and home behind as they pack cars, trailers and backpacks to go camping.

If you're one of those pursuing fun in the great outdoors, remember that you can't take a vacation from safety.

"Some of the same safety issues you have at home, such as cooking fires and carbon monoxide poisoning, are still dangers when you're camping," says John Drengenberg, manager of Consumer Affairs for Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), the not-for-profit product safety testing organization.

Safety begins before you leave for the campground. Drengenberg advises inspecting and testing cooking, heating and lighting gear at home to ensure it is in good repair. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for its use. When appropriate, buy and use equipment carrying the UL Mark. The mark means UL has tested and evaluated representative samples of the product and that the product meets UL safety requirements.

Pack your home safety habits with you for use at the campsite. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says cooking is the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries. Frequently, these fires are from leaving cooking unattended. While you're camping don't leave cooking unattended either, despite the allure of Mother Nature. Also, the same considerations of grill safety that you use at home apply at the campground: Keep the fire, stove or grill away from overhanging tree branches, your tent and other items such as sleeping gear or drying clothing. And, enforce a child-free zone of at least 3 feet around the cooking area.

At home, you have to keep combustible materials away from open flames, such as candles or the fireplace. While camping, you also have to keep open fires and fuel-burning appliances away from the tent, surrounding trees and shrubs, clothing and sleeping gear.

Again, just like at home, you need some method to extinguish a fire: a bucket of water or an all-purpose fire extinguisher.

Even though you're camping, carbon monoxide is still a threat. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that annually carbon monoxide poisoning kills about 30 campers and injures 450 more. These deaths and injuries are from using portable camping heaters, lanterns or stoves inside tents, campers and vehicles.

"Keep stoves, lanterns and candles outside, in the open air," Drengenberg says. "If you need light in a tent or vehicle, use a flashlight or battery-powered light."

Other camping safety tips from UL include:

  • Transport flammable liquids in safety containers with the UL Mark. Keep them capped, out of tents and away from children.
  • Extinguish fires before you go to sleep.
  • Ensure you have a freshly stocked first aid kit for the campground and a smaller, easily carried kit to carry with you on hikes or activities away from camp.

For more tips on summer safety, visit the UL Web site at www.ul.com/consumers.

About Underwriters Laboratories

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit product safety certification organization that has been testing products for more than 110 years. UL tests more than 19,000 types of products annually, and more than 19 billion UL Marks appear on products each year. Worldwide, the UL family of companies and its network of service providers include 58 laboratories, and testing and certification facilities.

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