Permit Recreational Fires on Private Property in Grand Rapids, MI

I have begun a petition to amend the ordinances of the City of Grand Rapids, MI, to permit recreational fires on private property.

The City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, prohibits ALL “open burning”, including fires contained in outdoor portable fire pits and chimeneas, and other “recreational fires”, which would include those contained in permanent fire pits.  This tramples private property rights, and infringes on our right to fully enjoy our private property.  The following is posted on the Grand Rapids Fire Department web page:

Public Information Regarding Open BurningThe Ordinance Itself - City Code - Title IX - Police Regulations - Chapter 151, Article 4, Section 9.34

(7) Open Burning. Open burning shall be prohibited.

(a)  The following exemptions shall be allowed provided they do not violate any other Sections of this Chapter. 

    (i)  The burning of wood, charcoal, coke or other accepted fuels for the preparing of food in an approved container or utensil while being used in a safe and sanitary manner... 

General Guidelines 

Cooking:

For the purpose of this ordinance, the mere presence of nearby food DOES NOT qualify as an exemption. For the food preparation to be considered, a number of factors need to be present including, but not limited to:

• The device being used for the fire is designed for the cooking of food, as its primary purpose. In addition, the fire officer in charge shall approve the device and its location, from a safety perspective. 

• The fire will be small in nature, and would depend upon the heat from the embers for cooking, rather than from flame contact. 

• When the food preparation was completed, the fire would be extinguished. 

• The gathering of food and support goods after the arrival of the fire department will exclude consideration as a cooking fire. 

• Fires on or in the ground will not be considered.

 As a policy, the Grand Rapids Fire Department will NOT participate in efforts to orchestrate an exemption. Some examples of Open Burning that are NOT allowed in the City of Grand Rapids are: 1. Outdoor Portable Fire Pits 2. Chimeneas 3. Recreational Fires Enforcement:Enforcement of this ordinance is the responsibility of the Grand Rapids Police Department. It is the policy of the Fire Department to educate residents prior to pursuing relief from an enforcement mode. Should the Fire Department respond to a report of an unauthorized burning, the officer in charge may choose to address the situation without activating the enforcement arm of the process. He/she may ask the occupant responsible for the fire to simply extinguish it, with or without the assistance of the Fire Company on scene. If the occupant agrees, the matter is considered closed. If the occupant refuses, Grand Rapids Police shall be notified. Should the Fire Department encounter repeat violations of the ordinance, the fire officer is required to notify the Police Department. August 17, 2009

Michigan, in general, and the Grand Rapids area in particular, has traditionally enjoyed the warmth of outdoor fires as a recreational past time and a pleasant way to spend time with family and friends, in addition to fire’s more utilitarian role in the preparation of food.  While concerns regarding fire safety are prudent, the Grand Rapids City Ordinance has gone too far in proscribing what kind of fires may occur on private property, specifying that only those fires used for food preparation are acceptable, and even then must meet, according to the letter of the ordinance, with the approval of the fire officer regarding the kind of device used for food preparation and the specific location of said device.  Strictly speaking, according to the letter of the ordinance, before placing an outdoor, commercially produced grill on one’s property, “... the fire officer in charge shall approve the device and its location.…”  A strict interpretation of the ordinance, then, would require city residents to obtain approval from the fire officer before placing a new grill, purchased at any of a number of area stores, in one’s own yard to insure that both the type and location of the grill meets with the approval of the city.

We whose signatures appear below do hereby petition the City of Grand Rapids, County of Kent, State of Michigan, to amend the Grand Rapids City Code, Title IX, Chapter 151, Article 4, Section 9.34 to allow recreational fires on private property when contained in:

1. Outdoor Portable Fire Pits
2. Chimeneas
3. Permanent Fire Pits,

and to rescind the requirement that outdoor, open fires and the devices used to contain them may only be used for purposes of preparing food and then only with the approval of the city fire officer.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/permit-recreational-fires-on-private-property-in-grand-rapids-mi.html