Use safety gloves to protect your hands, have a source of water nearby, avoid using in enclosed spaces, place it at least 10-15 feet from the house or other flammable materials and keep the surrounding area debris free, a wide based design with a border ring is preferable, it is good to have smoke vents, use hardwoods as they produce less smoke. You should keep children and small animals a safe distance from the fireplace, consider a door or domed covering, and always make sure the fire is out when the fireplace is unattended.. With an outdoor fireplace, it is very important to make sure that children do not have access to it while it is hot. It is also important to make sure that the seats around the fireplace are not too close to the flames.