Amherstburg Town Council will debate whether to change its bylaw to allow the use of backyard fire pits.
People use their fire pits now, but since it is not permitted under the current bylaw, open air burns are not regulated in the town.
"It would allow us to put in place some standard practices," says Fire Chief Bruce Montone. "One of the things that a proposed bylaw would do is allow us to put in a permit system. That would help us become much more familiar with where burning is taking place."
The fire department could also educate the public about fire safety; keeping fires a safe distance from buildings, igniting and extinguishing a fire properly, and controlling the size of fires.
A report to council says firefighters have been called out to 133 calls over the past three years related to the use of illegal fire pits at the cost of $40,000.
The proposed bylaw would still not allow it in high-density areas like downtown Amherstburg, or when the weather is ripe for fires to spread quickly.
"When the fire incendies go up, if we have a lot of warm, dry weather for an extended period of time, that's going to create a situation where fires really shouldn't be lit," says Montone. "We're suggesting a communications tool where the public could call into an automated system that would tell them you're permitted to burn today, or you're not."
Open air burns are allowed with a permit on farms.