Meta description: Plan fire safety for a pop-up campsite in 2026. Check pitch spacing, fire points, access, LPG, generators and camper briefings under Class BC and Class BA.
Hello, farmer, pub or hotel owner, and rural landowner.
Before you welcome campers, walk the site as if a fire has just started. Can guests raise the alarm, leave quickly and find a clear route to safety? Can the fire service reach the site?
Use this checklist to find gaps before opening. It covers camping legislation UK 2026, fire precautions and practical evidence to keep. It is general guidance, not a substitute for advice from your council, fire and rescue service, insurer or competent fire-safety adviser.
Start with your permitted development route
Check which rules apply before you plan your site. Class BC camping England allows a temporary recreational campsite for up to 60 days a calendar year, with up to 50 pitches. You must notify the local planning authority before starting each year. Prior approval applies if the proposed site is in Flood Zone 2 or 3.
Class BA camping Wales allows up to 60 days a year on eligible land, but only 28 days in a National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site. You must apply for a determination before starting each year. Wales also restricts sites within 100 metres of a protected dwelling and excludes Flood Zones 2 and 3. Check which vehicles and structures qualify before advertising pitches.
The temporary campsite 60 days rule does not remove separate duties. Permitted development rights do not automatically grant a site licence or approve permanent facilities. Read our Class BC and Class BA comparison and prior approval guide.
Map pitches, fire points and escape routes
Draw one clear site plan. Mark every pitch, access road, gate, fire point, assembly area, toilet, generator and LPG storage point. Include the emergency vehicle route and any hazards, such as ponds, slopes, hedges or overhead cables.
Keep space between pitches
As a practical benchmark, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service advises at least six metres of clear space between pitches. That space helps slow fire spread and must not become a parking bay. Follow any stricter site-licence condition or direction from your local authority or fire service.
Keep tents, awnings, ropes and parked vehicles out of escape routes. Mark a route from each camping area to a safe assembly point. Check it stays usable after dark and in wet weather.
Position fire points for your actual layout
There is no single extinguisher-spacing rule that applies to every pop-up campsite. Requirements can depend on local licence conditions, the site’s fire-risk assessment and advice from the fire and rescue service.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service advises at least two fire points, with no pitch more than 90 metres from one. Its guidance lists two extinguishers, two fire beaters, a manual alarm and clear fire instructions at each point. Other published guidance uses a closer 30-metre target. Treat that as a prudent design benchmark where practical, not a universal legal rule. Ask your local authority and fire service to confirm the right layout for your site.
Place equipment where guests can find it quickly. Keep it visible, accessible, protected from weather and checked. Choose extinguishers for the hazards present. Water is not suitable for every fire, including fires involving live electrical equipment or flammable liquids. Record checks and maintenance.
Check gate and appliance access
Keep emergency vehicle access clear at all times. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service guidance sets a useful benchmark: a route at least 3.7 metres wide, with no gate or entrance narrower than 3.1 metres. It also advises that emergency vehicles should be able to get within 90 metres of any pitch.
These figures are local fire-service guidance, not a universal planning condition. Check the requirements for your site. Make sure the route can bear the weight of emergency vehicles, keep overhead cables clear and stop guests parking across gates or turning areas.
Set clear rules for flames, gas and generators
Ban open fires by default
A no-open-fires rule is the simplest option for a temporary campsite. State whether fire pits or barbecues are permitted, and prohibit them when weather, vegetation or site conditions make them unsafe.
If you allow a fire pit, set a designated location on a non-combustible surface. Keep it away from tents, structures, hedges and dry grass. Never leave it unattended, and provide a safe way to extinguish it fully. Do not allow cooking inside tents or awnings. Follow fire-service advice during dry or high-wildfire-risk periods, and suspend fires when needed.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service does not recommend disposable barbecues or campfires. The service warns that buried embers can smoulder and later start a wildfire. Keep grass short, remove cuttings and combustible waste, and check the site for dry vegetation.
Control LPG, fuel and refuelling
Require spare LPG cylinders to be stored upright, secured against falling and kept outdoors in a suitable ventilated location. Keep them away from ignition sources, escape routes and sleeping units. Follow the cylinder supplier’s advice and any applicable site-licence conditions. Do not invent a storage distance: confirm the safe arrangement for the number and size of cylinders you hold.
Put fuel storage under a separate site procedure. Keep only what is needed, in suitable containers and away from guests and ignition sources. Refuel portable generators outdoors, switch them off first and let them cool. Never smoke or use a flame nearby. Clean up spills before restarting equipment.
Place generators safely
Require generators to run outdoors in a well-ventilated area. Never allow one inside a tent, awning, caravan, motorhome or enclosed building. Exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which can build up quickly and cause fatal poisoning.
Choose a stable location away from tents, windows, doors, air intakes and vegetation. Keep hot exhausts away from combustible material. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, protect cables from damage and trips, and set operating hours to manage noise.
Write a site-specific risk assessment and rules
Your written fire-risk assessment should describe the site as it will operate, not as a generic campsite. Record:
- The people who may be at risk, including children and guests who may need help evacuating.
- Fire hazards, including cooking, LPG, fuel, generators, electrical equipment and dry vegetation.
- How fire could spread between pitches, buildings or stored materials.
- Fire points, alarms, escape routes, assembly point and emergency vehicle access.
- What staff and guests should do if they discover a fire.
- Who checks equipment, trains staff and reviews the assessment.
- How you will manage dry-weather or wildfire warnings.
Write simple site rules to match. Set out your policy on open fires, barbecues, cooking, smoking, generators, fuel, LPG and waste. Explain how guests report an incident and where they assemble. Keep emergency numbers, the site address and postcode easy to find. Review the assessment when the layout, capacity, equipment or risks change.
Brief every camper at check-in
Do not rely on a notice guests might miss. Give a short briefing when they arrive, then provide the same instructions in writing or on a site map.
Point out the nearest fire point, the escape route and the assembly area. Explain the fire and barbecue rules. Show guests how to raise the alarm, contact staff and call 999. Tell them never to tackle a fire unless it is safe to do so. Ask whether anyone in their party may need help leaving, and agree a simple plan.
Keep records for insurers and planners
Keep a dated copy of your risk assessment, site plan, fire-service or council advice, equipment checks, staff training, camper briefings and incident reports. Also keep planning notifications or decisions, licence documents, inspection records and evidence that you followed the approved layout.
These documents help you manage the site. They also give insurers, planners and licensing officers a clear record of how you identified and controlled risks. Ask your insurer what it requires before accepting bookings. Fire-safety arrangements vary by site, so do not assume a particular document or distance guarantees cover or approval.
For farm diversification camping, put fire safety into your operating plan from day one. Check your local requirements before opening, then review your arrangements throughout the season.
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