How do you feel about the new rule in Meredith?
 

http://citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...895/-1/CITIZEN

Is this gonna to have a impact on our community? Maybe keep us healthier:eek:

Has the lack of exhaust hoods and fire suppression systems really created much carnage among the population of Meredith in the past?:(

Has a tsunami of hot fat ever killed anyone at the fairs and other activities? :eek:

How many more Mr. Speaker? How many more?:eek:

Just more nanny state government intrusion from a government with too much time on it's hands and an inability to face up the real problems.:cool:

new rules
 

thats the most ridicoulas rule I have heard yet!!!


:eek:

This make no sense to me at all a "Warren said as he understands it, cooking could still take place in a tent if it is open on all sides and the public is prohibited from entering. Outside cooking is also exempted from the requirements." Why would you want the oil spilling all over the ground? Why wouldn't you want to keep the oil contained in a trailer floor? Another stupid law that they didn't think all the way through.

My guess is you are going to force these vendors to setup ez-ups all over the place and with the one day of rain and with the oil it should be fun.

Next, for all outdoor grills you will need the same thing. Be prepared all you people who cook outside on the little grill. The state will get you yet.

What accidents have taken place to warrant such a change?? Did the town folks get a chance to vote on this??

The directive comes from the State Fire Marshall's office.... it affects ALL the cities & towns in NH! Def going to be interesting how this plays out for Bike Week (the first big test)

I am usually on board with anything that prevents fires.... however requiring a mobile trailer to have grease hood and a fire suppression system is kinda silly if you ask me.

Woodsy

Do venders collect food and lodging taxes
 

It amazes me how a state, that relies so heavily on revenue collected by those who sell prepared food, makes things so difficult on those who pursue such business.

Now some hard working individual who feed a couple children via a $2,500 fry truck will either have to close up shop because $10,0000 for a hood is out of reach, or bye the hood and help send some hood company's child to private school.

Regulations of this nature provide opportunity for hood companies to rape businesses who are required to use them. I had a number of nightmarish experiences when opening. It's wrong and it's the people who suffer because of it.

I think it's time to lobby for a law requiring all public workers play 9 holes of golf before work. True it makes no sense but imagine how much money those who sell golf would make. Who do I buy dinner for to get this done? It'll be a dinner prepared under a hood:rolleye1:

Seems the state fire marshals office is also closing a lot of schools that have existed for over 70 years because they are too dangerous.

Hood and Fire protection
 

Where do I begin?
All outdoor venues need to have a hood and fire protection that has a roof?
What about that push cart with a canvas umbrella? It that a roof?
You will need electrically to power up the hood. That means a bigger generator, more noise and fumes. Next you need to have that hood inspected and cleaned 2x per year minimum. As for the fire protection, I assume they mean an “Ansul” type of system that also needs to be tested and inspected 2x per year. I do not know how the cold weather effects the chemicals as most of these types of systems are installed within a conditioned building. Sense these food service units are mobile and can be in NH one day then MA another day and possibly another state another day. That could mean that you need to have each state/town not only verify by require a new inspection of the “systems”. NRPA also states that during an event the exhaust hood needs to ramp up to full speed and the supply fan (I assume the great outdoors need to be turned off for the unit to work properly. Also the fuel source needs to be interlocked so that the fuel gets shut off during that event. One more point is that all of this needs to be “tied” into the buildings existing fire alarm system for notification to the proper authorizes and occupants.

Protect the bears and foxes from that blaze within the trailer

More Conversation on this Topic
 

BYOS (bring your own sandwich)

Why not just require more fire extinguishers?

This smells of a "not in my town" mentality.

Amen! We own a 1984 step-van type truck with a nice commercial kitchen built into it. We have used it to sell hot dogs and other foods for three summers. Although now it's parked here at home (needs $2000+ work to pass vehicle inspection), we can still use the kitchen in it, but it's just not possible to retrofit it to comply with this rule. Therefore, we won't be able to get the kitchen licensed again. Good thing we have a commercial homestead kitchen license for our home kitchen (for our farm products), which is not as nice as the one in the truck.

I know there is a safety factor with the vents, hoods, and fire-extinguishing systems, but you can't even fit all that in many of the fried food trucks and trailers. That's a lot of investment to suddenly become useless and put a few more folks out of work. I don't think that's what we need. Since a mobile kitchen does not need a food license to operate at fairs, etc. in NH (up to 2 weeks at temporary gatherings, last i knew), now they get them from the fire marshal's side. It's amazing that these units have been operating for years at fairs, festivals, M/C Week, etc. with no problem, but suddenly need to be "upgraded".

Ridiculous!
 

I haven't seen a surge in news reports on fires in vendor trailers . . . just more rules to make it more difficult to run any kind of business.

You get what you vote for !!

What a simple compromise! I'd vote for that!

You're on to something.

Also, if you've ever gone to the statehouse when they have working sessions on these types of things it's not uncommom for unintended consequences to result. Often times the legislators are voting on something they know VERY little about, certainly not the finer points, and then rely on a summary of an analyst or committee clerk. Add in the handful of paid full-time lobbyists who hawk the hallways chewing on legislators ears and you have these types of laws going through.

Our wonderful government working against us. Pick the State, they're all the same.

A different side of the coin...
 

The Citizen's article quotes NFPA 96, (NFPA = National Fire Prevention Association), and is a Life Safety code.

Just to clarify things - this is a national code - not a state or town law or ordinance. Commercial cooking operations are inspected and if they are found to have deficiencies, they must correct them. If they don't correct their deficiencies, then they can be shut down because they are deemed to be unsafe. A bad review by NFPA can effect a businesses' insurance rates, financial back, and other aspects of business, in a negative manner.

NFPA came into being around the turn of the century because of workers being put in unsafe (hazardous) working conditions. Little was done to ensure there were proper fire exits, unlocked doors (exits), sprinkler systems, safe electrical wiring done by professionals, fire extinguishers, fire-retardant clothing, chemical or oil proof shoes... and on, and on... you get the idea by now, I'm sure.

In a nutshell: if people used more common sense and didn't create unsafe work environments where others (employees) are put in harm's way, then NFPA's list of regulations would be short.

It is my opinion that the town manager in Meredith gave a "glossed over" version of the regulation, and I would wager that The Citizen's report writing about NFPA didn't read the regulation cited by the manager at all, which specifies that the hood and vent system is needed when other criteria are met, and especially where there is grease-laden air due to the fryers.

NFPA codes are scientifically based. I know some of you are saying we're in a "nanny state", and you're welcome to your opinion - I respect that. But I also respect that these codes make a business accountable for safety, help to keep insurance rates low, and improve work conditions in a non-union based way. NFPA codes are applied in more aspects of your world than you may know - restaurants, schools, hospitals, homes, businesses, and so on.

If you want to read NFPA 96, click HERE

If that were the case, then using science we'd have fire suppression systems on our cars near the fuel tank and under the hood.

I think the better way to go at this is to require newer designs of the fryers themselves.....

When you retroactively impact things, it's a big deal. I deal with NFPA related to electrical codes and I can tell you that there are many things in the code book that don't do one thing for safety.

Perhaps. But there can be waivers granted and some things can be grandfathered so they don't have to comply. (I've seen that with some building code)...

As far as cars go... your suggestion is a good one - get a patent on it. :)

We don't need them as fuel tanks are designed to minimze risk of fire and explosion during collisions. Many cars kill the ignition of airbags are deployed. My point is better design of the system itself to minimize the risk of fire in the first place is always better than a reactionary system.

I do support in-home sprinklers on newer homes however.

Oerkill
 

Very STUPID! Would have been just stupid but just, "STUPID" would not post not enough characters. Also. Oh well let that go!