Piermont fire units chili fest stopped cold

[x635 4,066]

Piermont fire unit’s chili fest stopped cold

By Jane Lerner • jlerner@lohud.com • November 18, 2010

PIERMONT — First Westchester went after a pair of young cupcake salesmen, then Rockland shut down some chili-cooking firefighters.

http://www.lohud.com/article/201011180411

[IzzyEng4 427]

Anytime you serve food in a public place or at a public event, you need to follow your health department's rules. If you advertise for it and sell tickets to the public, then the fundraiser is not longer private. At my old vollie house, when we did a steak night, BBQ cook out, pankcake breakfast, ect., we are required by state law to have the health district come in and do an inspection of the facility. The rules are rules and despite them not being followed int eh past, more than likely it was a case of something happened somewhere else and someone got screwed, so now the health department has to step in. Even when we do cook-off in town or even up at Foxwoods, all food has to be cooked on-site per the health district regardless if its indoors or outdoors (with the exception of say breads and non-perishables, ect. of course).

Unfortunately this really stinks for Piermont but I have to side with the health department on this one. Maybe if they advertised it as a "pot luck" they probably would have gotten by.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

http://www.lohud.com/article/201011180411

I'm pretty sure for them to get around this insanity, they just have to move the cook-off to the firehouse property and call it an "invite only." The invite is bought with the $5 admission ticket. The reason the Health Dept. shut it down is because it would be on Village property open to the public. Somebody gets sick and they can sue the Village.

dial 1-800-fast-money-lawyers....

[newsbuff 286]

The rules are the rules, as much as they suck. They are there for a reason.

Stinks for Piermont.

[IzzyEng4 427]

I'm pretty sure for them to get around this insanity, they just have to move the cook-off to the firehouse property and call it an "invite only." The invite is bought with the $5 admission ticket. The reason the Health Dept. shut it down is because it would be on Village property open to the public. Somebody gets sick and they can sue the Village.

dial 1-800-fast-money-lawyers....

You hit it right on the head Capt! Pull the trucks out, set up inside the bays and Bam! You got yourself a good little fundraiser.

[jack10562 414]

Unfortunately, the "Firehouse Property" is likely also village owned, so the lunacy follows them there.

How sad. We are not safe from ourselves anymore.

Nothing like letting a potential lawsuit govern all of our activities. Give me back the good ol' days!

[ny10570 745]

People are acting like this is some outrageous burden. Its inconvenient but extremely doable.

[firefighter-70 27]

Maybe we can go through a pat down or body scanner to get into the Chili Cook off!

[efdcapt115 1,511]

Maybe we can go through a pat down or body scanner to get into the Chili Cook off!

"Yes, I'll try the extra hot and spicy chihuahua chili please,.......but if you touch my junk I'll have you arrested."

[helicopper 1,050]

"It's insane," he said. "It verges on psychotic behavior that people should be afraid to eat something made in someone else's kitchen."

In this case, the Piermont firefighters could have held the chili cook-off if they had prepared the food in the firehouse kitchen, which has a permit, Stoughton said.

What's the big deal? Give everyone a few hours to use the firehouse kitchen to prepare their entry and voila, problem solved.

How much worse would it be if everyone got sick from a bad batch of food (and we've all heard cases of that happening in places)?

The DOH did it's job. We shouldn't be criticizing them for it.