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Helena council adopts ordinance regulating large open burns with emergency clause
Summary
The Helena City Council adopted Ordinance No. 8 to require permits and fire-department notice for large open burning events, modeled on a Rogers, Ark., ordinance; the council also approved the ordinance's emergency clause so it takes effect immediately.
The Helena City Council voted to adopt Ordinance No. 8, a measure requiring permits and fire-department notice for large open burning events and setting safety requirements for those burns.
Council members said the ordinance does not affect ordinary backyard residential burning. "This does not apply to your average person doing residential burning in your yard," the presiding officer said when introducing the measure, adding the rule is intended to address larger piles or intentional structure burns that pose a fire risk.
The ordinance was modeled on a similar rule used in Rogers, Arkansas, the chair said. Council member Saint Columbia moved to place the measure on its stated reading and to adopt; the council approved the ordinance on a roll-call vote. The council later moved and approved the ordinance—s emergency clause so the regulation will take immediate effect upon publication.
Council members asked staff to ensure the ordinance is published in the usual public notices and to plan public education explaining the permit requirement and the narrow class of burns covered.
The ordinance text requires those intending to conduct large burns to obtain a permit (no fee specified in the ordinance), notify the fire department in advance, and meet equipment and supervision requirements listed in the ordinance.
