Burn season for bonfires

The topic of San Francisco bonfires got some extra press a few years ago when the city considered banning them due to reckless partiers and the air pollution of the nearby neighborhoods. But bad press is good press, I suppose.

To strike a balance between saving a San Francisco tradition and being kinder to our environment, the Ocean Beach Fire Program was created. The Program establishes new rules and regulation with more outreach and education by the San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department. Like a gift to SF residents, curfew has been raised to 9:30 p.m. and there are now 16 fire pits between stairwells 15 and 20 on Ocean Beach. The Program also establishes the months of March through October as Burn Season.

And as we enter our 2018 Burn Season, I’d like to reacquaint everyone with some bonfire rules:

• Do not burn trash—it can release toxins into the air
• Do not burn glass—it can shatter but not melt down
• Do not add accelerants—this can leech into the sand and pollute the ocean in turn
• Do not use sand to put out the fire—this only hides and insulates the fire

 

Here is the site of an unauthorized fire: not in a pit, trash and glass found, signs of contaminated wood (with paint and nails) used for fuel

As for what you should do:

• Bring your own firewood to burn—uncontaminated and clean
• Keep fires within the fire pit—that’s what they’re there for
• Use water to dowse your fire—either ocean water or water you’ve brought
• Observe Spare the Air Days, even during Burn Season

If you follow these simple rules, there’s no reason you can’t have a fun bonfire party while being mindful of the environment.
 
To learn more about the Ocean Beach Fire Program, read here.
To see if your planned bonfire is on a Spare the Air Day, check here.