“The fire department feels strong, and I agree with them that propane needs to leak,” he said. The fire department says no propane incidents were reported last winter when propane heating was allowed. “Many customers still prefer the safety of outdoor dining to indoor dining, and restaurants are still struggling financially to recover,” they wrote. “According to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), there were no fires or injuries related to the use of propane heaters last winter, and the majority of restaurants operated the heaters safely and in accordance with regulations.” The mayor announced Wednesday a ban on propane heaters in all New York Restaurants, the lifeblood of the company last winter that iced both restaurateurs and guests. The Daily News reported that there were no fires related to propane heaters last winter. “After talking to you and walking to The Home Depot and seeing that all the electric heaters are exhausted, I`m going to figure out how to rent a car and get to Louisiana to buy $1,500 worth of electric heaters that are one-eighth of the strength of propane heaters,” Mallios told the NY1 reporter, Stef Manisero. The city`s latest move is cold – and for struggling restaurants already hit by the consequences of the pandemic, things will cool down. “Look, I really listened to the firefighters. These are the experts in propane health and safety,” the mayor said at his daily press briefing Thursday morning. “[The] fire department feels strong, and I agree with them: propane needs to be phased out.
Derek Kaye, owner of Takumi Taco, founded a propane delivery company last year, NYC Propane Delivery, which offers same-day propane delivery and pickup. He said daily tank replacement helps prevent accidents by avoiding having to store propane indoors overnight, which is a no-no. Despite all this, the New York Bravest proclaims that propane heaters “pose a high risk of death and injury.” Your concern for public safety is great if several thousand firefighters continue to reject the COVID vaccine, putting everyone they hit at risk and forcing some fire stations to close. (Yes, we love them because they save lives, but that`s their job, after all.) The FDNY did not respond to questions about the propane ban. Crain`s reported that the $5,000 grants to compensate restaurant owners for the money they provide for alternatives to electricity or propane natural gas would be available to businesses that generate less than $1 million in revenue in 2019. Last winter`s emergency order authorizing propane heating expired in May, but restaurateurs in all five districts lobbied for its renewal. Many are already tasked with enforcing rules that only allow vaccinated guests to eat indoors, and many rely on outdoor dining to feed unvaccinated customers and those who prefer to eat out during the pandemic. Mallios, whose companies relied heavily on propane heaters last year, speculated that the new decision could be seen as a punitive measure against the unvaccinated. Some places stayed with propane despite the obstacles. Now tanks belong to history.
The last-minute timing of the ban, just before colder weather hit, annoyed homeowners with the money they had wasted on propane heaters in the reasonable hope that the exemption, which expired last spring, would be renewed. But the alliance condemned the city`s decision as a “blow to restaurants hoping to reuse propane heaters as they still try to recover from the pandemic,” adding that there were “no reported security incidents” with the heaters last year. Never mind that the propane tanks used by thousands of Big Apple restaurants caused exactly no accidents last winter. It doesn`t matter if they are legal in most other major U.S. cities. Either way, they`re allowed on our food trucks and food trucks — including several on Park Place, just outside City Hall, right next to the mayor`s office. “Open restaurant” participants who spent money on propane heaters last year are eligible for grants of up to $5,000 from the city to purchase electric and natural gas heaters before the winter season, the NYC Hospitality Alliance — which represents thousands of New York Restaurants — noted in a press release. Last winter, restaurants were allowed to temporarily use propane and electric heaters to keep customers warm in cold weather.
Experts told Gothamist that they are much more accessible and affordable for businesses than hard natural gas, which often requires expensive upgrades, permits and inspections, as well as disruptions to business operations. However, there have been many complications with the installation and regulations, and the city finally decided in October this year to ban them, citing fire safety.
