Riverside Fire Authority firefighters respond to a brush fire near Nix Road in Centralia in this 2017 Chronicle file photo.
The Centralia City Council passed an ordinance on first reading Monday adding a new section to Title 17 of the city municipal code in hopes of making it easier for residents to read and understand the rules and regulations around recreational fires, burn restrictions and burn bans.
Other than a new process for official declarations of a burn ban coming into effect, the definitions and processes laid out in the new code come directly from the International Fire Code already codified in another section of the CMC. Some supplemental information is included with the restated language in an attempt to avoid confusion.
“This should make it much easier for the public to understand what’s going on and for them to easily access the codes they’re generally looking for this time of year,” said City Attorney Shannon Murphy-Olson.
Per the ordinance, the city manager will sign a Burn Ban Declaration — similar to ones signed in times of significant flooding — when a burn ban is declared by the Riverside Fire Authority. The ban shall take effect immediately, but will require ratification at the next meeting of the Centralia City Council.
