The Town of Collingwood requires anyone who wants to have a campfire in their backyard to first purchase a permit from the Collingwood Fire Department.
Any open-air burning requires the permit, this includes outdoor fireplaces and fire pits.
Residents can only get permits at the Collingwood Fire Department in person and with $35 cash (exact change). The permit requires a name and address and for you to acknowledge several safety precautions recommended for any open-air burning.
There is also information on what conditions make open-air burning unsafe, such as high winds or dry weather that has prompted fire bans.
Those who are caught with a fire and no permit could face fines. The town bylaw is here.
According to Fire Chief Ross Parr, the department is close to launching an online permit process, but it isn't ready yet.
The fire hall customer service desk is open Monday to Friday (except Good Friday) from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs offer the following advice and more on their website here:
- Maintain a 2- to 3.5-metre clearance around your campfire
- Never use gasoline as an aid to starting a campfire. If you are using fire starter, never put it on an open flame
- Don't leave a fire unattended
- Have plenty of water and a shovel close by to douse the flames when you're done. A fire doused in sand or left to burn on its own is still dangerously hot up to eight hours later
- Keep campfires to a small, manageable size no more than one metre high by one metre in diameter
