The Kremlin supports any measures that save lives. This was stated by spokesman for the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the ban on smoking on the balconies of residential buildings, which will enter into force on October 1.

Recall, from this date in Russia, the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation “On amendments to the rules of the fire regime in the Russian Federation” will come into force. We are talking about a ban on open fire on balconies, loggias, in the living rooms of houses, dormitories and hotels, which also applies to smoking and cooking kebabs.

“The Kremlin has a positive attitude to any decisions that help save lives. We know how many fires occur, many of them have very tragic consequences and public outcry. Therefore, any saved life justifies such decisions, ”Dmitry Peskov told reporters. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.

He noted that he considers the new restrictions primarily as a fire measure, and not a way to protect smokers' neighbors from tobacco smoke.

Peskov mentioned the position of the head of state regarding smoking. According to the presidential spokesman, Vladimir Putin advocates a healthy lifestyle, and among his colleagues there are few smokers, "a few."

“In general, this is very unpopular now, which is encouraging. The President, you know, has always not welcomed smoking, is a supporter of a healthy lifestyle, and the whole working atmosphere - I mean all the colleagues, employees and employees who somehow provide the president’s work, practically no one smokes, ” Peskov noted.

It should be noted that a number of other items were included in the adopted document on the fire regulations. So, the document prescribes that the ways of unloading goods in stores should not intersect with emergency exits for customers. In addition, hospitals are required to accommodate seriously ill patients and children mainly on the first floors of the building.

In addition to this, cinemas will be required either in a voice notification or through showing the appropriate clips before the start of the session to talk about actions in the event of a fire, evacuation and the location of exits and fire extinguishers.

Enhancing Safety Culture

News of the upcoming ban on smoking on balconies caused a wide resonance. The Ministry of Emergency Situations extensively commented on the imminent changes in the legislation.

According to the agency, carelessness when smoking is the cause of about 60% of fires on the balconies of residential buildings.

As specified in the Ministry of Emergencies, for violation of the new order penalties are provided, including criminal ones. Smoking on the balcony can lead to a warning or a fine of up to 3 thousand rubles. The size of the penalty will increase to 5 thousand rubles in the event that a fire starts due to a violation. Criminal punishment will be applied if smoking on the balcony causes a fire.

The agency also believes that changes in legislation will allow more effectively recover damage from the perpetrators of the fire.

  • © Ruslan Krivobok / RIA News

“Thanks to changes in the fire regulations, it will be easier for victims to recover losses from the guilty person. Previously, it was not possible to bring the perpetrator to justice. After the amendments enter into force, the true guilty parties will be responsible by law and compensate for the harm that they caused, ”the press service of the Ministry of Emergencies said.

According to representatives of the department, after the adoption of the amendments, there will be a reason and reason to identify the culprit if, for example, a fire started on the ground floor of the building due to a careless action.

At the same time, the ministry noted, the new measure is aimed, first of all, “not to fight smokers, but functionally designed to enhance a safety culture”.

“We draw the attention of society to the fact that everyone should be responsible for their safety and the safety of others,” the department said.

Plans to limit smoking on the balconies of houses supported in Rospotrebnadzor, focusing specifically on the fight against tobacco use. The agency is of the opinion that only zones completely free from tobacco smoke can reliably protect against its effects.

According to Interfax with reference to the press service of Rospotrebnadzor, the department strongly opposes smoking and supports initiatives to limit it.