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SAWHORSE
After a customer catches on fire, city red-tags rooftop fire pits.
Sara Rubin May 24, 2016
http://www.montereycountyweekly.com...cle_75c6628c-220c-11e6-aa29-2306f735f261.html
Carmel Building Official Joe Headley walked out of City Hall Monday afternoon with a red tag in his hand, and headed a few blocks up Ocean Avenue to Vesuvio.
The restaurant and bar—named for the Italian volcano Mt. Vesuvius that buried Pompeii—has a rooftop bar, and Headley beelined his way up there, along with owner Rich Pepe.
Headley was there to inspect the rooftop for basic safety compliance issues, unrelated to food. While he agreed the rooftop can remain open, he did issue a notice for failure to comply and pull the proper building permits.
The Carmel Fire Department had called Headley to notify him that a customer at Vesuvio received second-degree burns on the evening of May 18 as she stood up to walk away from a fire pit.
Pepe wasn't there, but says his staff reported that she wore a long, flowing scarf that caught fire.
"We've never had an issue in five years. This is the first time something like this has happened," Pepe says.
The woman's friend fortunately reacted quickly, pushing her to the ground and smothering the flames. She received treatable burns on her back.
The red tag will allow Veusvio's rooftop to remain open—just as Carmel's tourist season unofficially begins Memorial Day weekend—but no fire pits, no wall heaters and a maximum capacity of 49 people are currently allowed up there.
Pepe had an appointment with Del Monte Glass to look at installing glass enclosures around his rooftop, and was also checking with a locksmith about getting one of his two exit doors modified. (That could allow for a higher occupancy up top.)
"I look at it as a positive thing," says Pepe, who also owns Little Napoli and Carmel Bakery among other food and wine businesses in town. "Let's get everything up to code, no danger."
The issue, Headley says, is that Pepe didn't pull building permits back when he first remodeled the restaurant space.
"It's a very common mistake," Headley adds.
Many business owners pull permits from the city Planning Department, not realizing there's a separate process for more technical approvals like proper exit doors and gas hook-ups.
For example, Headley hasn't seen architectural drawings showing the lines that hook up to the gas fire pits, which would normally be part of that process of granting building permits. Without reviewing those drawings, he says, he can't comment on whether they're properly installed.
The notice he issued Pepe will allow the business—and the rooftop—to stay open for now, until those safety features are reviewed and addressed.
"My goal is to keep businesses open in a manner that's safe," Headley says.
Sara Rubin May 24, 2016
http://www.montereycountyweekly.com...cle_75c6628c-220c-11e6-aa29-2306f735f261.html
Carmel Building Official Joe Headley walked out of City Hall Monday afternoon with a red tag in his hand, and headed a few blocks up Ocean Avenue to Vesuvio.
The restaurant and bar—named for the Italian volcano Mt. Vesuvius that buried Pompeii—has a rooftop bar, and Headley beelined his way up there, along with owner Rich Pepe.
Headley was there to inspect the rooftop for basic safety compliance issues, unrelated to food. While he agreed the rooftop can remain open, he did issue a notice for failure to comply and pull the proper building permits.
The Carmel Fire Department had called Headley to notify him that a customer at Vesuvio received second-degree burns on the evening of May 18 as she stood up to walk away from a fire pit.
Pepe wasn't there, but says his staff reported that she wore a long, flowing scarf that caught fire.
"We've never had an issue in five years. This is the first time something like this has happened," Pepe says.
The woman's friend fortunately reacted quickly, pushing her to the ground and smothering the flames. She received treatable burns on her back.
The red tag will allow Veusvio's rooftop to remain open—just as Carmel's tourist season unofficially begins Memorial Day weekend—but no fire pits, no wall heaters and a maximum capacity of 49 people are currently allowed up there.
Pepe had an appointment with Del Monte Glass to look at installing glass enclosures around his rooftop, and was also checking with a locksmith about getting one of his two exit doors modified. (That could allow for a higher occupancy up top.)
"I look at it as a positive thing," says Pepe, who also owns Little Napoli and Carmel Bakery among other food and wine businesses in town. "Let's get everything up to code, no danger."
The issue, Headley says, is that Pepe didn't pull building permits back when he first remodeled the restaurant space.
"It's a very common mistake," Headley adds.
Many business owners pull permits from the city Planning Department, not realizing there's a separate process for more technical approvals like proper exit doors and gas hook-ups.
For example, Headley hasn't seen architectural drawings showing the lines that hook up to the gas fire pits, which would normally be part of that process of granting building permits. Without reviewing those drawings, he says, he can't comment on whether they're properly installed.
The notice he issued Pepe will allow the business—and the rooftop—to stay open for now, until those safety features are reviewed and addressed.
"My goal is to keep businesses open in a manner that's safe," Headley says.
