Summer Fire Safety Tips for Property Managers
The summer months are amongst us and with that comes the nice weather, and spending time outdoors. Your tenants will likely be outdoors playing, cooking, and celebrating summer holidays such as the Fourth of July. It is important to send out a community wide notice on fire safety during the summer months. Prior to this notice, always make sure to have professionals such as Connected Fire inspect each unit’s fire extinguisher, sprinklers, and fire alarms. You always want to ensure your property is up to code and following the city laws and ordinances.
During the summer tenants are wanting to grill and be free, children are on break from school and may often be home alone if they are of age. These occurrences can lead to accidental fires if not given the proper safety and knowledge of the community rules. Some, or all, units may have balconies or porches where tenants enjoy their outdoor space. You can begin preventing fires and enforce fire safety by:
- Designate certain areas as smoking or non-smoking. The summer months allow for a lot of outdoor time and many tenants will smoke outside. While this is okay, make sure you designate a space for smoking that is safe and free from any potential fire hazards. Also, you can provide trash cans with an ashtray so tenants won’t toss their cigarette butts on the ground or grass. Don’t allow tenants to smoke on their balconies or patios. Oftentimes, tenants will smoke on their balconies or patios and will unknowingly start a fire. This can be incredibly dangerous as it can spread very quickly throughout all the other units. Make sure non-smoking and smoking areas are labeled with a clear sign that is large and easily visible.
- Make sure there are grilling rules throughout the community. Tenants will want to grill during the summer months but it can be very dangerous to grill on patios and balconies. Make sure the lease agreement is clear on grilling rules and also send out a friendly reminder to your tenants on these rules. You can designate an outdoor space for grilling if you have one with a community sharing grill for tenants to use. Make sure you have signs that state to not leave the grill unattended, ensure it is turned off when finished, and an arrow showing direction to the nearest fire extinguisher.
- Ensure that your lease states the rules on bonfires and fire pits. Don’t allow tenants to have fire pits on their balconies or patios, even if it is an electric one. Bonfires and fire pits should only be allowed in a designated safe space.
- Fireworks are a common way to celebrate the Fourth of July. In general, fireworks are not commonly done close to buildings and should definitely not be done on balconies or patios. Make sure your lease clearly states the rules of firework usage. To ensure your property and tenants are safe, make sure to check with Connected Fire for Chicago fire safety and the city’s regulations on fireworks.