I’d like to take this time to send a reminder of something that we mentioned a couple of months ago.  I’m referring to the practice of shopping centers and malls to lease store space for very short terms such as 30 days or 90 days.  Normally they prefer to sign up temporary tenants for 4 to 6 months, but times are tough right now in the retail market and they are more inclined to accept very short lease terms.

The advantage to the shopping center owner is apparent.  Mainly, it generates some income.  Just as important is getting some activity in the storefront.  A shopping center that has a half-dozen or more empty stores is not only uninviting, but it signals to the potential customer this is not a very popular place to shop, thus encouraging them to drive elsewhere to make their purchases.  It becomes a self-generating spiral downward.

Fortunately for the real estate people, there is an increase in the demand for short-term leasing during December, as many seasonal retailers and part-time peddlers are anxious to take advantage of the big selling season.  And that is where both fire and EMS agencies need to become aware of what’s going on in these places.  We need to be alert to locations that are suddenly occupied where they weren’t last week.  There are several reasons for this:

• Receiving calls for an unfamiliar address or store name.  Where is it?
• What is inside there?  It is not at all unusual for these temp. tenants to fill their store space overnight and immediately begin selling who-knows-what to anybody that drops in.  No occupancy inspection to see if the space should be limited to X number of people at any one time.  No fire inspection to see if they are storing any flammable or other dangerous products in a restricted space, etc.  This is particularly risky in kiosks where the seller may have installed a propane heater or something similar.
  
• Storeroom nightmares.  Most of these tenants have neither the knowledge nor the concern about safe and legal storage practices.  They just bring everything that they hope to sell in the next few weeks and stuff it into the storeroom.  Panel box?  What’s that?  What is a “path of egress”?  “I need a fire extinguisher?”  You get the idea.

It behooves everybody to get out onto the streets and seek out these temporary occupancies.  Nobody’s going to voluntarily tell you where they are (or what they’re doing there).  Just about every station has a blackboard or similar device that is used for temporary and timely notices.  Set up one of these to list your temporary occupancies.  List not only the address, but the name or whatever words are visible from the street.  They are usually printed on a temporary banner or sign.  And a note on what is inside the shop.

For sure, get inside for a look around the place.  If your department permits fire companies to write Notices of Violation, then take your book with you and cut off potential problems before they happen.  You know the drill.

Now let’s get the equipment checked out.  I’ll get the coffee started.  See you back in the day room.