Camping

Never light a candle or have any other kind of flame burning apparatus in or near to a tent.

Even in the larger tents which are marketed as being more geared to cooking, it is recommended, whenever possible, you cook outside and away from the tent.

If you do have a large tent and are planning on cooking inside, you need to be on your guard.

Keep all cooking stoves away from the roof and walls of the tent where they can be easily knocked over but the general advice is to always cook outside well away from your tent, no matter how large it is and you should never cook in a small tent.

Don't smoke inside the tent and keep any flammable material away from the cooking area. Ensure all matches and lighters are stored safely away from children.

Store flammable liquids and gas cylinders away from the tent.

Devise an escape plan and be prepared to cut your way out of the tent if a fire breaks out. A fire can destroy a tent within 60 seconds so underlining the dangers is important.

If you find that your clothing has caught fire, the important thing is to remember the procedure for putting it out which is to stop, drop and roll. If somebody else's clothing has caught fire, you should tell (or force) them to drop and try to smother them with a blanket or other large item of clothing to quell the flames, then roll them.

Tents should ideally be pitched at least 6 meters away from caravans (likely to contain cookers). If visiting a designated campsite find out from the owners what the firefighting arrangements and procedures are.

For additional information you can read the Fire Safety Outdoors leaflet.