Posted on 10/25/2003 6:16:55 PM PDT by SWO
Most apartment and condo dwellers in Virginia can kiss goodbye to preparing sizzling steaks or burgers on their balcony or patio grills.
As of Oct. 1, it's illegal to use an open-flame grill on wooden balconies or on patios within 10 feet of a combustible building, meaning just about any structure not made of brick.
Anyone violating the state's new fire prevention code can be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by a year in jail and a possible $2,500 fine.
In addition to the open flame ban, owners of propane grills that use tanks with a capacity greater than 2.5 pounds of water cannot use their grills on prohibited balconies or within 10 feet of combustible buildings.
The new rules are intended to prevent fires, said Glenn Dean, safety engineer with the state fire marshal's office.
``The idea is that you're trying to eliminate the amount of fuel that can leak or migrate,'' Dean said.
Embers that fly out of a charcoal grill onto a wooden deck can burst into flames, Dean said. Fumes from a leaky propane tank can waft into a neighbor's apartment and be ignited by a lit candle or cigarette.
``I think it's ridiculous,'' said Diana Sepulveda, who lives in a condo in the Riverwalk section of Chesapeake.
She and her husband have a small grill they use on their patio.
``If you're constantly watching your grill while you're grilling and not leaving it unattended, there should not be an issue,'' Sepulveda said. ``It's taking away from people's privacy and their culpability of living in their own home, whether it's an apartment or condo.'' Sepulveda's home is one of more than 142,000 multi-family units in Hampton Roads, according to the 2000 Census.
Not everyone is affected. Single- and two-family dwellings are exempt. So are buildings constructed with non-combustible materials such as brick. Buildings with sprinklers that protect decks aren't included. And any grill connected to a natural gas line also is legal.
Dean said Tuesday he did not have statistics on fires caused by grills in apartments or other multi-unit buildings.
But the anecdotal evidence is there, he said.
Jessica Younce said her tenants at Chase Arbor Apartments in Virginia Beach already are mostly in compliance with the code.
A November 2000 fire caused by an unattended balcony grill in the complex off Independence Boulevard destroyed 20 apartments.
``Since then, we've made it a policy that only people on the first floor can grill,'' said Younce, the apartment manager. ``Basically, you cannot grill on the second- or third-floor balcony.''
New residents seem to understand the policy and few complain when they learn about the fire three years ago, she said.
Local fire marshals said they aren't initiating a crackdown.
``Are we hunting down grills on balconies? Absolutely not,'' said Chief William Hibner, Chesapeake's fire marshal. ``Does that make it right to continue using them? No.''
Local fire marshals said Tuesday that they don't expect residents to get rid of their barbecues because some people invest large sums in high-tech grill gadgetry.
But they do expect people to dispose of propane tanks if they can't be used and stored according to the code, said Capt. Rick Kephart, Virginia Beach deputy fire marshal.
Hibner and Kephart both said that they and other fire marshals throughout the state try to take an educational approach to code enforcement. If people refuse to comply after learning about code violations, they are given a written notice that they must make changes. Future violations can result in a court summons, they said. ``We have found that an overwhelming majority of folks, when they are educated, they comply with no problem,'' Hibner said.
Hibner decided early on to start notifying apartment managers and others with an interest in the kinds of buildings affected.
``Everyone that we can find, we've actually sent a letter to them explaining the new code,'' Hibner said. ``We knew that was going to have a substantial impact. I knew we wanted to get the word out.''
Hibner said his office has received a few calls from people who wanted clarification of the code.
Virginia Beach fire inspectors started spreading the word last year, when they learned that the new code could be adopted, Kephart said. But the Virginia Beach fire marshal's office won't be sending letters out to every complex in the city.
Kephart said he talks to one or two residents about the issue each week. The fire marshal's office has received e-mails and talked to residents in person.
``People are concerned about their traditional Saturday night grills,'' Kephart said.
``It's been a major impact to the citizens,'' Kephart said. ``The biggest thing is to understand the intent of it.''
``People tend to forget about the Chase Arbors and things like that,'' Kephart said. ``People say it's not going to happen to me because I'm going to be safe with mine, but it's that kind of attitude that causes it.''
Reach Cindy Clayton at cindy.clayton@pilotonline.com or 222-5201.
Actually dry grass will ignite much, much more readily than wood decking.
Propane is actually more dangerous than natural gas. It's 1.5 times heavier than air...so when it is released it will tend to accumulate in lower lying areas. It can also be driven by air currents. It can and does migrate into openings such as vents or windows on structures with subsequent ignition.
It's flammable limits are between 2.2 and 9.6 percent (it don't take much). The parting arc generated in your light switch when you flip the switch on is enough to ignite it. When released from it's container it expands to 270 times its volume. So a very small release, say 1 cubic inch will expand to 270 cubic inches of propane. Just that little bit will produce a substantial fire.
It is also a very safe and reliable fuel source...but you should respect it. Lack of respect for and a lack of knowledge about this fuel is what causes a lot of fires.
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