A local fire prevention officer is reminding the public to be smart and safe when lighting up their backyard fire pits.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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With the warm and dry weather in the Hat and residents staying cooped up at home during the province’s latest round of COVID-19 restrictions, a city fire prevention officer is encouraging safe use of backyard fire pits.
Carter Gramlich says there is no fire ban in effect in Medicine Hat at the moment and he doesn’t expect there to be one later this summer when the weather is hotter and drier. However, he says there are a few things people must have and should do when it comes to burning wood in the backyard.
“We require people to have a fire pit permit if they want to have a backyard fire pit,” said Gramlich. “If people want to use propane fire tables and things of that nature, they don’t need a permit, but they just need to of course use them cautiously and follow the directions of the manufacturer.”
Gramlich says the fires should always be attended, be 10 feet away from the property line and combustibles, be completely put out when finished with it and fires should only burn clean and dry firewood.
On the other hand, he says don’t burn garbage, leave the fire unattended, burn on an extremely windy day or without a fire permit. He adds a lot of the calls they get are from concerned neighbours.
“Most of the things we hear about is neighbours don’t like the smell of the smoke and if the wind is blowing toward the neighbour’s house and they don’t like the smell of the smoke, it might not be really neighbourly of you to have a fire that day,” said Gramlich. “Using common sense and being respectful of neighbours is the best approach.”
A slightly higher number of fire permits were given out last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Gramlich, but fire permits are a hot commodity every year.
“People like to get out and have a backyard campfire,” he said.
