The much anticipated AQMD Staff report has been released. In it are new definitions of Rule 444 and 445: A new definition is added for "beach burning" which is prohibited beginning January 1, 2015 under this amendment. However, using charcoal…
Some of you are wondering... has this site been taken over by a bunch of anti-fire rings fanatics? I'm still checking my web logs, but in the meantime, let me fire one last shot across the bow! Soon I'll be…
In Newport Beach last night a divided Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission voted to recommend to the City Council the removal of all beach fire rings.
It was a raucous session with several residents interrupting Commissioner Roy Englebrecht at one point as he proposed converting the wood burning fire rings to natural gas; the clean burning fuel would remove a major concern of the residents: the airborne carcinogens in the smoke. Trying a different tact, Commissioner Anderson implied that without a full scientific inquiry, the residents’ complaints of ash sticking to their patio furniture might prove to be the rubber from tire wear, as an investigation of the area surrounding the John Wayne airport apparently once found. These subterfuges would not deter the majority of the Commission members who voted 4 to 3 to send their recommendation to the City Council: complete removal of the fire rings.
On a cold night, most people consider a well-tended fire to be one of the more wholesome pleasures that humanity has produced. A fire, burning safely within the confines of a fireplace or a woodstove, is a visible and tangible…