OK, I am on my townhome association's board, and we are looking into establishing written guidelines for various outdoor cookers and other heat sources following a fire in one of the units that started on the deck. The fire was actually caused by someone smoking cigarettes, and not a grill, but the board wants to get some actual guidelines set. Currently there is no written rule about any outdoor heating/cooking appliance.
Ideally, we'd want to come up with something that ensures the least risk of fire while not being a huge pain for residents.
As for the buildings themselves, there are a couple of different types of designs. Most of them have a "tuck-under" attached garage in which the roof of the garage is a deck. Some have a detached garage and a regular deck. Some have a walk-out basement with a cement pad, which may be under the regular deck if they have a detached garage. Any of the units has their own driveway as well as large grass common grounds for items not allowed on decks, so any policy created would not make it so residents cannot use their grill, just limit where they can use them.
Right now, the rest of the board is leading towards a blanket ban on charcoal grills, with special requirements for gas. I am not sure this is the best course of action.
When researching this, I found some rather surprising statistics. The majority of grill fires(79%) are caused by gas grills. At first I was thinking that this was due to gas grills overwhelmingly outnumbering charcoal, but this is not the case. Approximately 70% of families owning a grill own a gas grill. About 50% own a charcoal grills (hang on baby birds, I'll feed you), and another 10% own electrics. How can that be? Most families own more than one grill, with the average coming out to 1.5. I myself have 2 or 3 depending on if you count my infrared turkey fryer as a "grill". This kind of leads me to think saying no charcoal allowed isn't the best move to make, and instead a further breakdown might be needed.
I haven't been able to find any data on what kinds of charcoal grills are involved in the charcoal fires or how they start. Are they mostly the cheap kettle grills that only have a plate for ash? Is it a cheap metal grill getting knocked over? Is it someone being incredibly stupid and using gasoline as a starting agent? I don't know. I have a hard time considering a kamado style grill unsafe for the decks considering you can buy wood tables designed to hold them. There are also heavier charcoal grills that won't tip and charcoal grills that have an enclosed container for ash.
I also have not been able to find any data on pellet grills, so I am assuming they are getting added into the charcoal category, as I sometimes see this as "Solid Fuel" as opposed to charcoal.
Then there are hibachis (both gas and charcoal), the "hybrid" grills which either cook with gas or charcoal, or use gas to light the charcoal, and smokers.
The final mention goes to non-cooking items that can act as potential ignition sources. Tiki torches, chimneas, outdoor fire pits, gas outdoor fireplaces, and outdoor heaters.
What I am thinking is:
*No open flames on the decks, this means any appliance which generates a flame regardless of fuel must have the flame contained when in use. This would limit tiki torches, outdoor fireplaces/pits, and certain grills like hibachis and the Orion grill.
*Anyone having a potential ignition source on their deck must have a means to extinguish fires readily available, such as a class B, AB, or ABC fire extinguisher or charged garden hose.
*Patio heaters (mushroom heaters) may only be used while supervised (no running the heater on an empty deck), must be equipped with a tilt shut-off, and must have a 3-foot clearance on all sides including the top.
*Grills must be in good working order, must have a lid that can be closed while it is in use, and must have an enclosed container for ash if it is charcoal. Possibly even take this a step further and word it so the cheaper grills (like the $20 "square" charcoal grill you can get at walmart) aren't allowed. They must maintain a 3 foot "safety zone" on all sides including the top.
*Charcoal grills may only be used with a fire-resistant grill pad under them.
*No home-made grills/cookers allowed on decks, as there is no way to determine the build quality short of requiring an inspection for any grill.
*Absolutely no oil turkey fryers allowed on the decks. Possible exception for oil-less "fryers".
*Smokers would fall under the same rules as grills. I've never seen a charcoal smoker where the ash is allowed to just fall on a plate that is exposed, so this isn't likely to be an issue.
*Fire pits and outdoor fire places are not allowed on decks. Possible exception for ones that are fueled by gel/gas/liquid.
Any feedback, advice, or constructive criticism is appreciated.
Ideally, we'd want to come up with something that ensures the least risk of fire while not being a huge pain for residents.
As for the buildings themselves, there are a couple of different types of designs. Most of them have a "tuck-under" attached garage in which the roof of the garage is a deck. Some have a detached garage and a regular deck. Some have a walk-out basement with a cement pad, which may be under the regular deck if they have a detached garage. Any of the units has their own driveway as well as large grass common grounds for items not allowed on decks, so any policy created would not make it so residents cannot use their grill, just limit where they can use them.
Right now, the rest of the board is leading towards a blanket ban on charcoal grills, with special requirements for gas. I am not sure this is the best course of action.
When researching this, I found some rather surprising statistics. The majority of grill fires(79%) are caused by gas grills. At first I was thinking that this was due to gas grills overwhelmingly outnumbering charcoal, but this is not the case. Approximately 70% of families owning a grill own a gas grill. About 50% own a charcoal grills (hang on baby birds, I'll feed you), and another 10% own electrics. How can that be? Most families own more than one grill, with the average coming out to 1.5. I myself have 2 or 3 depending on if you count my infrared turkey fryer as a "grill". This kind of leads me to think saying no charcoal allowed isn't the best move to make, and instead a further breakdown might be needed.
I haven't been able to find any data on what kinds of charcoal grills are involved in the charcoal fires or how they start. Are they mostly the cheap kettle grills that only have a plate for ash? Is it a cheap metal grill getting knocked over? Is it someone being incredibly stupid and using gasoline as a starting agent? I don't know. I have a hard time considering a kamado style grill unsafe for the decks considering you can buy wood tables designed to hold them. There are also heavier charcoal grills that won't tip and charcoal grills that have an enclosed container for ash.
I also have not been able to find any data on pellet grills, so I am assuming they are getting added into the charcoal category, as I sometimes see this as "Solid Fuel" as opposed to charcoal.
Then there are hibachis (both gas and charcoal), the "hybrid" grills which either cook with gas or charcoal, or use gas to light the charcoal, and smokers.
The final mention goes to non-cooking items that can act as potential ignition sources. Tiki torches, chimneas, outdoor fire pits, gas outdoor fireplaces, and outdoor heaters.
What I am thinking is:
*No open flames on the decks, this means any appliance which generates a flame regardless of fuel must have the flame contained when in use. This would limit tiki torches, outdoor fireplaces/pits, and certain grills like hibachis and the Orion grill.
*Anyone having a potential ignition source on their deck must have a means to extinguish fires readily available, such as a class B, AB, or ABC fire extinguisher or charged garden hose.
*Patio heaters (mushroom heaters) may only be used while supervised (no running the heater on an empty deck), must be equipped with a tilt shut-off, and must have a 3-foot clearance on all sides including the top.
*Grills must be in good working order, must have a lid that can be closed while it is in use, and must have an enclosed container for ash if it is charcoal. Possibly even take this a step further and word it so the cheaper grills (like the $20 "square" charcoal grill you can get at walmart) aren't allowed. They must maintain a 3 foot "safety zone" on all sides including the top.
*Charcoal grills may only be used with a fire-resistant grill pad under them.
*No home-made grills/cookers allowed on decks, as there is no way to determine the build quality short of requiring an inspection for any grill.
*Absolutely no oil turkey fryers allowed on the decks. Possible exception for oil-less "fryers".
*Smokers would fall under the same rules as grills. I've never seen a charcoal smoker where the ash is allowed to just fall on a plate that is exposed, so this isn't likely to be an issue.
*Fire pits and outdoor fire places are not allowed on decks. Possible exception for ones that are fueled by gel/gas/liquid.
Any feedback, advice, or constructive criticism is appreciated.
Comment