Burning Candles

[The Mouse II]

Candles... where I am, they cannot be burned in a public building. If you have your office in your home, you can burn them, but not in a public building. Even if you are not burning the candle when they come through, if you have a candle that has obviously been burnt, you can be fined. Candle warmers are okay, but not burning candles.

Does anyone else with a clinic not in their home burn candles? Has the fire department inspected your businesses? Have you recieved warnings about burning candles in a public building?

 

[Hoadly]

Yes, I get expected annually by the fire department. They check for code violations, but in my town, they give you time to fix them before fining you. I need to have a commercial-grade fire extinguisher visible in the office to use. Any wires that cross a room need to be covered by a protector. They don't like any fabric draped across the ceilings, but will let you get away with it if you first make the fabric flame-retardant. They check for overloaded outlets, and yes -- burnt candles.

My office is spacious & uncluttered, so I never have trouble passing my inspections. A friend, however, has a an office that's decorated like a cocoon -- artful fabric drapes across the wall & ceilings. She has lots of cords (accent lamps, glowing crystal rocks, etc.) And candles. On her first inspection, the fireman almost wanted to shut her down. Instead, he gave her a loooooong list of stuff to fix.

 

[Skylar]

Ahh... a fire extinguisher... forgot about that... I am not sure if I or my landlord will have to provide one of those...

Yes, the do give warnings... but since I know a bit about what they look for, I would like to avoid what I know they will look for instead of playing dumb.

 

[Bollox]

One note on the fire extinguisher. In my town, it has to be commercial grade -- that's a larger extinguisher, and it covers all kinds of fires (A, B & C).

The weirdest rule here about the fire extinguisher is that it has to be visible. For example, you can't keep it tucked in a closet or cabinet. It has to be visibly hung on the wall. I guess the idea is that anyone could grab it if needed, without having to hunt for it. In a one-person office, though, it seemed a little silly. But fire code is fire code -- no exceptions. Since I put a lot of effort into creating a beautiful office environment, I wasn't comfortable hanging it next to the wall tapestry, amethyst cathedral, or art photographs. So I chose to hang it in the bathroom instead. It's tucked in the corner, next to the sink.

 

[Dan F]

Yes, we were inspected already though the spa had only been open a couple weeks. They were given warnings about burning the candles and the overloading electrical outlets as well as being cautioned not to allow the electrical cords to be "folded" as from the factory because the bent wires can short, and they were warned to get a fire extinguisher... even though they'd already called and the guy was on his way to deliver it.
And yes as Blisss said, the fire extinguisher has to be put in a prominent area, we were sort of hoping to put it in an area where it sort of fade into the background, but the guy insisted it had to be very visible in order to appease the fire department.

 

[Doctor Watson]

First, I think that having the fire extinguisher in an obvious place is a good idea. Even though you might be the only practitioner, a client might need to find it if you are passed out from smoke inhalation or something else. Would be awful if there were deaths because the client didn't win the game of "hide and seek" and find it in the bathroom.

If you are looking for alternatives to burning candles with flames, there are battery operated candles that you can use. The battery operated tea lights look nice when you put them into something. The glow is almost the same as with a real candle. Not quite as bright, but still gives a nice effect.

 

[ashleystone37]

Here in Florida there's no ban on burning candles so we've never had any problems with that. We do get inspected every year by both the fire department and also by the Board of Massage (for our establishment license) and they both check to make sure we have our fire extinguishers (our building has to have 2 because of it's size) and then of course they check other stuff.

One of our therapists uses the battery operated candles. She uses them because they don't throw off any heat! They do look great, you can't tell them from real candles but they don't have any scents to them.

Angie

 

[Dewayne]

How about sidestepping all the issues that come with burning candles in a place where you aren't allowed and using "flameless candles"?

I've been checking some out recently. They are pretty cool!

I was hoping to start a thread for them in Tools (maybe I already did - but can't find it).

 

[Renolouie09]

Actually one of our first clients at the spa works for Phillips, and gifted the spa with a set of their rechargeable flameless candles.
We tend to sprinkle them around the spa, in the reception area near product displays to create a little movement to catch the client's eye. Or in the lounge on the mantel above the fireplace for ambiance. You'd be surprised how many places you can find for them, and the little LED lights themselves can be put into some other votive holders to add more "variation."