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Stove
Safety
Using your stove safely
©
Outdoor Adventure Canada
Stove
safety may seem like a strange topic to cover. After all we are
adults and we use our regular stoves day in and day out. Periodically
we boil over a pot or endure the stinging reminder of the importance
of oven mitts. However, this topic is a little different and is
based on a well learned lesson.
It started
many years ago when my wife and I became interested in backpacking
and canoeing. As you know getting geared up can be an expensive
venture. Christmas was around the corner and we thought this would
be an excellent time to start getting our gear. Our families bought
gear as Christmas presents. There were lanterns and pots, a water
filter and a shiny new backpacker stove.
I played with
my gadgets like a child with a new toy. I tested and familiarized
myself with everything except for the stove. I actually made it
until the New Year before I decided it was time for the maiden
voyage. The weather outside was bitter cold and an unappealing
environment for playing with my new stove. I filled the container
with white gas and started looking for a more suitable, and warmer,
place to light up the stove.
Going against
my better judgment and deciding not to heed my wife's warnings
I chose to use the bit of counter next to the kitchen sink as
my test area. I heard her say, "Did you read the manual?"
Having used the old green and red camp stoves I figured that I
was pretty much an expert and didn't bother reading the instruction
manual. With the fuel on high and the match lit I lit the stove
for the first time. What I didn't notice was the raw fuel was
not being totally consumed by the flame and was making a rather
substantial puddle on the counter, which could have been avoided
if I had read the instructions and properly primed the stove.
One accidental
nudge of the stove leg by my friend Brad was all that was needed
to set the counter ablaze. I heard those four little words from
my wife. "I told you so" rang through the air. We attempted
to extinguish the flaming puddle of fuel with a tea towel to no
avail. The towel was also aflame and the fuel had spread across
the counter. We were reaching a point where this was about to
become out of control. Luckily I had a damp towel at the door
which I had used earlier to clean my dogs muddy feet. I stretched
the damp towel out and dropped it over the flaming counter.
The fire was
extinguished as quickly as it started. To my surprise the counter
was not even damaged. We did not have curtains on the window above
the counter. If we had it could have been devastating.
The lessons
of my story are clear. Read the manual. Then reread it. Study
it and make sure you know how to operate the stove. Manufacturers
spend much time and money having instruction booklets written
for a reason. Use your stove on a non-flammable service and be
especially careful of dry materials such as leaves and pine needles.
One mistake
such as the one I made could have resulted in a forest fire so
don't take stove safety for granted.
For more articles
please view the archives.
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