Lead Fire Inspector Urges Tampere-Area Residents to Avoid Balcony Barbecues, Use Electric Grills
The Pirkanmaa lead fire inspector urges Tampere-area residents to avoid balcony barbecues and use electric grills, warning that fires can spread through building structures and are hard to extinguish at height.
Tamperelainen reports that Jarkko Jääskeläinen, lead fire inspector at the Pirkanmaa Rescue Department, urges Tampere-area residents to avoid grilling on balconies. Fires can spread through building structures and are difficult to extinguish at height.
The Helsinki blaze has reignited debate over what is allowed on apartment balconies. While balcony grilling is not banned by law, tenancy agreements and housing company rules may prohibit it. The Finnish Real Estate Federation stops short of blanket bans and urges attention to fire safety. The Association of Finnish Property Managers says grilling can be part of normal life as long as it causes no danger or nuisance, but warns that open flames, charcoal, disposable grills and pellet pizza ovens do not belong on balconies.
Jenni Valkama, a legal expert at the property managers' association, says responsibility for safe grilling rests with residents. Do not leave a grill unattended; keep flammables away and have extinguishing equipment at hand. Jääskeläinen recommends switching to electric grills. If you do grill on a balcony, supervise it constantly, avoid distractions such as phones, place the hot grill so it cannot ignite nearby material and make sure you have quick access to initial firefighting tools so small blazes can be put out before they spread.
Catch the full story over at Tamperelainen
