Fire permit wording amended
Posted Jul 1, 2010 By Ashley Kulp
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Tweet ThisEMC News - There are many dangers to open burning and in order to ensure the public fully understands this, council has approved a revision to the wording of municipal fire permits.
After hearing a delegation by local resident Sasha Honsl at an April 19 Committee of the Whole meeting regarding illegal burning, CAO Andy Brown brought a report to council during the June 21 Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss some rewording on fire permits.
According to Brown, the wording on the current fire permits is "very good" but a few changes have been suggested, including adding clauses regarding what items are permitted to be burned and encouraging the public not to burn, as well as including the Environment Canada 'What Goes Up Must Come Down' pamphlet with every burn permit purchase, along with information on fire prevention and educational material.
"The chief (Tim Bond) and I went through the permits and we need to maintain the information pretty well as is, but can add these other clauses," Brown stated.
The fire prevention material will come out of the current fire services review being done, which will require council to adopt a fire prevention and education policy program. "When council approves its fire prevention and education programs, this should include activities discouraging open burning and especially illegal burning," Brown pointed out in his report to council.
Mayor Bill Gooch questioned if there was any wording to be added on the permits to address what happens when burning bans are in effect.
"I discussed that with the chief about whether there are going to be any bans and essentially he said yes, there will continue to be fire bans if there is a lack of precipitation or other dangerous conditions," Brown stated. "If one is in force, an automated notice will be left on the fire department's line...It will also be on the electronic sign in front of the hall."
The inclusion of the Environment Canada pamphlet will also outline what's legal for residents to burn, he added.
The open burning season in the Municipality of North Grenville is from May 1 to November 1 and exemptions are made for the farming community when clearing debris on their land. Brown did stress that any illegal burning complaints the public encounters should be reported to the fire department, in order to allow them to investigate the situations fully.
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