Dear Editor:
Re: New West prohibits backyard campfires, The Record online, June 11.
Specifically, regarding lighting a fire on our patio table (which is a found fire pit table)
I'm having a hard time understanding how an eight-inch propane flame out of the centre of a table that's designed for it is a safety concern. This table emits zero sparks and is no more dangerous than a barbecue. We've had it for years with absolutely zero incidents, a lot of our neighbours have them with no problems either.
I'm not sure how I would explain to our four-year-old that we can't do marshmallows in the back yard because of a bylaw ban in place for our protection from ... ?
It seems to me that this is nothing more of a "nanny" law suggesting we are incapable of containing an eight-inch flame in our 4,000-square-foot back yard without burning down the city.
What I really don't understand is how our surrounding cities allow these types of fire pits to be used without a permit? It is hardly fair that we as a New Westminster citizen are NOT allowed to use our $1,000 fire place table (which we bought locally, at Wal-Mart in New Westminster), yet our surrounding cities say it's OK?
I'd love to know how I can go about getting someone to shed some light on this.
Christopher Johnston, New Westminster
