City Extinguishes a Good Time

Who doesn't love sitting around the bonfire, cracking open an ice cold brew and relaxing with your best pals? Wait! Hold the phone, it's illegal?

Rockford has quite intense guidelines for open burning. Turns out, you are probably breaking many of the rules.

Recreational Fires

First off, the definition of a recreational fire, according to the City-adopted "ICC International Fire Code, 2003 Edition" Section 302.1, is:

An outdoor fire, burning materials other than rubbish, with a total fire area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height for cooking food for human consumption.

 

So if you are cooking your marshmallows and eating them, you are playing it safe. You can't cook beer on the fire... so that means no booze for you.

The Division of Fire Prevention gives this information regarding recreational fires:

1. Limit the size of the fire to no larger than 2'x2'x2' using seasoned, dry firewood only (about 4 logs). So stop burning that fence you painted and tore down. Not only does it smell awful, but it is completely dangerous.

2. Burn at a reasonable hour (no later than 10:30-11:00 p.m.) and for a reasonable length of time (3 hours). I suppose that it's respectful to your neighbors, but as I'm out roasting my marshmallows, it's hard to keep a time limit on those delicious puppies.

3. Check with all neighbors (courtesy and health or environmental issues.) Be nice to your neighbor. After all, if you are breaking the rules they are the ones that are going to call the fuzz on you. It's not like the police are just driving around searching back yards for fires.

4. Have a hose or fire extinguisher present to extinguish the fire. Point taken.

5. Consider weather conditions (wind, dry conditions, etc.) Last thing you want is the wind picking up your fire and moving it into your house. Are you picking up what I'm throwing down?

6. If a complaint is received and any of the above conditions are violated, the fire will be extinguished and the report forwarded to Fire Prevention for legal action. Remember that a recreational fire is for cooking food, not a campfire. I'm crying on the inside. I love my campfires.

Turns out you can have a bonfire in Rockford! The definition of a bonfire is quite similar to that of a recreational fire. What's the difference? Well, a bonfire can be much larger (5'x5'x5') but must be for ceremonial purposes. What!? What are we ceremonially fire burn for? Does trying a new beer qualify for it's own Bonfire Ceremony? I don't know, but you do have to get a permit.

Still have questions about what you can and can't do when it comes to fires? Check out this pamphlet from the Rockford Fire Department. That should clear it all up.