Aldermen Want Permits For Fire Pits

[taco.vidal]

I dont see how a permit system is going to solve anything. The problem is likely a combination of a few idiots who really abuse the privalege of being able to have a backyard firepit and a few idiots who call bylaw if their neighbour does anything not to their liking.

Aldermen Want Permits For Fire Pits
CHQR Newsroom
10/2/2008

A couple of Calgary aldermen say fire pits are causing the city and residents a lot of problems when it comes fire safety, noise and health issues.
While there are some regulations when it comes to hours of use and what can be burned, Aldermen Joe Ceci and Bob Hawkesworth want some more rules put in place.
In the past year and a half, there have been more 360 complaints to the city about fire pits.
Alderman Ceci says as opposed to most other major municipalities in North America, he's not looking for a ban on fire pits.
He's looking at a system of permits and the goal is not to create another level of bureaucracy.
"The idea of a permit is that people are following the rules and where they're not following rules, then perhaps have that priviledge being taken away."
Ceci says people are complaining about the health effects of having to breathe in acrid smoke and be forced indoors.
Council looks at the issue Monday.

[The Ditch]

Old people are so bad at abusing the bylaws. My next door neighbours have called the bylaw officer on my girlfriend and I no less than 12 times (counting our warning papers we receive) in the last year, nothing ever comes from it, it just gets annoying after a while.

I don't really have a problem with fire pits, people are usually responsible with them.

[troutman]

For people with asthma, fire pits are a real big problem.

Our neighbor burns weeds in her fire pit.

[Muta]

What a terrible idea.

Maybe we should get additional permits for our cars, since they pollute the air - probably more consistently and in more abundancy than firepits, too. Yet, I don't see neighbours complaining.

fotze's right - how is giving the city money for a permit, somehow going to reduce the problem people have with neighbours using their backyard firepits? Completely bizarre.

As long as you follow the rules of the permit, you can use the firepit as many times as you want. How this would address people's issues with them is beyond me.

[mykalberta]

I am surprised you don't need a permit in Calgary for an open fire pit.

If you have one, and it "gets loose" you should be on the hook for all damages and related costs IMO.

[Superflyer]

My neighbor has one every weekend and I hate that the smoke comes into my house and makes things smell like camping, I have no problem with the smell when I am camping but not at home. I have to close the windows and that sucks on the hot summer nights.
But all that considered I would never call by-law on him, mainly cause I like him, he is a great guy, I just hate the smoke.
So I think that this is a dumb idea but I can see some people getting upset about the fires but a permit is not going to fix anything. People are still going to have the back yard fires.

[flip]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

My neighbor has one every weekend and I hate that the smoke comes into my house and makes things smell like camping, I have no problem with the smell when I am camping but not at home. I have to close the windows and that sucks on the hot summer nights.
But all that considered I would never call by-law on him, mainly cause I like him, he is a great guy, I just hate the smoke.
So I think that this is a dumb idea but I can see some people getting upset about the fires but a permit is not going to fix anything. People are still going to have the back yard fires.

This here is the issue I think. If you neighbor was a jerk and constantly having fires it may get annoying and warrant calling a bylaw officer. But as long as the neighbor relationship is based on reciprocity I think things would work fine.

[taco.vidal]

What would you call bylaw officer? If he is following all the bylaws associated with firepits, the bylaw officer cant do much about the fact that you dont like smoke. Thats the problem that some people have with the way the rules are now.

http://content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+H.../Fire+Pits.htm

Originally Posted by Superflyer

My neighbor has one every weekend and I hate that the smoke comes into my house and makes things smell like camping, I have no problem with the smell when I am camping but not at home. I have to close the windows and that sucks on the hot summer nights.
But all that considered I would never call by-law on him, mainly cause I like him, he is a great guy, I just hate the smoke.
So I think that this is a dumb idea but I can see some people getting upset about the fires but a permit is not going to fix anything. People are still going to have the back yard fires.

[Kerplunk]

I don't see how getting people to pay for permits will help clear up the smoke that is generated from a fire pit. Just more bureaucracy for people to wade through.

[BuzzardsWife]

my old neighbor always decided to burn his newspapers outside my little girls room on really hot days in the summer..and the guy behind him had fires to high the sparks flew up higher than the trees..i think they should be banned in the city period

[FlamesKickAss]

Originally Posted by troutman

For people with asthma, fire pits are a real big problem.

Our neighbor burns weeds in her fire pit.

I call BS.

I have asthma and I sit by the fire and have no problems.

People just want a reason to complain and the city wants a reason to collect more money.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by FlamesKickAss

I call BS.

I have asthma and I sit by the fire and have no problems.

People just want a reason to complain and the city wants a reason to collect more money.

Agreed, so do I. Never had a problem.

[GGG]

I don't get how having a permit changes the situation. Right now if you are having a fire and someone calls bylaws and an officer actually shows up if you are not complient he can give you a ticket

If a permit system comes into place if you are having a fire and someone calls bylaws and an officer actually shows up if you are not complient he can give you a ticket and take away your permit and next time get you get a bigger ticket for a fire without a permit.

This is just another attempt at over regulation without cause or benefit.

Cranky neighbours will still be cranky if a fire is burning with or without a permit

[mykalberta]

As I think about it now, I am glad I dont have a house with a neighbour who has a firepit.

That smoke from some jackholes firepit drifting into my backyard as I am trying to have a gathering in my backyard would drive me bonkers.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by FlamesKickAss

I call BS.

I have asthma and I sit by the fire and have no problems.

People just want a reason to complain and the city wants a reason to collect more money.

I don't have asthma, so I can't say I know this from personal experience. Perhaps it depends on the individual:

http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2008/07/...red-up-th.html

I have asthma, along with 22.9 million other Americans. It is the leading chronic childhood illness in the U.S. Although asthma can be fatal, thankfully deaths are infrequent. But it is an expensive disease, costing the U.S. economy around $19.7 billion each year (American Lung Association).

Smoke is a powerful trigger; avoidance of it shapes my life. I’ve given up activities that brought me joy, including camping with my family, for what is camping without a campfire? I’ve accepted these limitations but I’m struggling with those imposed by smoke from recreational fires.

In the last four years, I’ve had to give up time in my garden and shut my windows to cool night breezes due to wood smoke in the neighborhood. I can’t see the fire burning in someone’s backyard whether it’s next door, down the street, or two blocks over. I have no warning that my next breath will include smoke’s deadly particles, and then it’s too late to prevent an attack. Four weeks ago, a neighbor’s smoky fire triggered an attack so severe I thought I’d need hospitalization. It took me four miserable days to recover.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=...mental-dangers

It’s hard to assess the larger impact of backyard fire pits on local or regional air quality, but no one questions the fact that breathing in wood smoke can be irritating if not downright harmful. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), so-called fine particles (also called particulate matter) are the most dangerous components of wood smoke from a health perspective, as they “can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they can cause health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose and illnesses such as bronchitis.”

Fine particles also aggravate chronic heart and lung diseases, and have been linked to premature deaths in those already suffering from such afflictions. As such, the EPA advises that anyone with congestive heart failure, angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema or asthma should steer clear of wood smoke in general. Children’s exposure to wood smoke should also be limited, as their respiratory systems are still developing and they breathe more air (and air pollution) per pound of body weight than adults.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by troutman

For people with asthma, fire pits are a real big problem.

I burn peanuts, cat hair and whatever pollen I can scare up in mine.

[mikey_the_redneck]

It's just a cash cow for the city.

[Nancy]

Originally Posted by BuzzardsWife

my old neighbor always decided to burn his newspapers outside my little girls room on really hot days in the summer..and the guy behind him had fires to high the sparks flew up higher than the trees..i think they should be banned in the city period

The current bylaw prohibits burning leaves, garbage, and yard waste, but I think it should be expanded to prohibit "the burning of green or damp wood and any other material which produces excessive smoke." I would define excessive smoke as "including any smoke that visibly drifts into adjacent properties."

We have a fire pit but use it only only 2-3 times a year, and even then we only burn wax logs and dry (retail packaged) wood. We have a neighour, however, I don't know what he burns, but it feels like there is a forest fire in our neighbourhood when he uses his pit.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Agreed, so do I. Never had a problem.

I have asthma as well and I love having fires in my back yard.

[Ford Prefect]

Our son has asthma, and wood fires have never been a problem for him.

I'm categorically opposed to law makers legislating restrictions on legal lifestyle choices.