Yarmouth town council to consider firepit approval with restrictions

A bylaw preventing the use of firepits within the Town of Yarmouth may be amended, depending on what council decides after reviewing similar bylaws in other municipalities.

Councillor Gil Dares brought up the subject during recent meetings of council, suggesting that firepit usage be permitted following the same guidelines that other municipalities have in place.

Dares suggests that based on the success of other communities regarding the allowance of open firepits within town boundaries, Yarmouth town staff should be instructed to conduct inquiries with other units in order to develop a robust bylaw. A motion to do so was approved at the July 8 council meeting.

When the town enacted the original bylaw related to firepits years ago, the motion was made by Dares’s wife, former town Coun. Esther Dares.

He says the firepit ban was put in place at that time because people were burning leaves and yard debris and, in some cases, garbage in barrels, etc.

“It was having a negative impact on neighbours, especially those who have breathing difficulties or health conditions that were aggravated by smoke,” says Dares.

The bylaw was amended to allow fires for cooking, but as there were no real parameters around a cooking fire, those fires often became bonfires and so eventually the bylaw banned all open fires.

In preliminary research, Dares says he saw that Shelburne has a firepit law, which was enacted in 2010. That bylaw defines a wood-burning appliance as brick or stone or heavy gauge metal, a spark screen is required and fuel is restricted to seasoned wood.

“Those who have burned green wood before know that they’re not going to enjoy their experience,” says Dares.

Shelburne’s firepit bylaw forbids nuisance and restricted fires, and firepits are allowed by permit only. They must also be a safe distance from buildings and there is a fine of $500 for violations.

“In HRM, just to show some of the meat that these bylaws have, an adult must be in charge, they must adhere to Nova Scotia Burn Day restrictions, wind velocity is a consideration and you’re not allowed to leave the fire unattended,” says Dares.

In Digby, a fire chief or delegate is allowed to enter any property to perform duties under the firepit bylaw.

Dares says he doesn’t anticipate there would be a run on town hall for firepit permits, particularly since some firepits are not cheap.

However, there has long been interest in allowing them. In the past there have been letters sent to the town and presentations made. Many years ago a Facebook group seeking to allow firepits in the town was also created.