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Council committee backs amendment to require UL‑listed devices and clearer open-burning rules
Summary
The fire chief presented amendments to the city’s fire-prevention code to require UL-listed devices for open burning or cooking and to set distance limits; the committee approved the amendment and the council advanced the ordinance for final action.
The Pawtucket City Property Committee and the council considered an amendment to the city's fire prevention code intended to modernize open-burning rules and provide enforcement authority. Fire Department leadership (speaker 4) described changes that prohibit burning in unlisted or homemade devices (for example, 55-gallon drums), require use of UL-listed devices for permitted open burns and cooking equipment, and impose minimum clearances: 50 feet from structures for open burning and 10 feet for cooking devices under overhangs.
Fire Department staff told the committee the amendments add a nuisance standard and an enforcement path through zoning if repeated violations occur; fines and zoning enforcement were discussed as remedies. Councilors asked how the rules would apply to tenement porches and asked who has initial enforcement authority; the chief confirmed the fire department would respond first and zoning would be involved if problems persist.
Committee members characterized the measure as an "enforcement tool" to address unsafe practice rather than a blanket prohibition on backyard campfires; the committee moved the ordinance and recorded approval in committee for processing to the full council (committee motion and vote recorded in meeting minutes).
