This has been an interesting and troublesome topic, because answers are
elusive. I have to question what I think is hyperbole in the last post: "those
of us who are having our lives ruined by fires..." Really? Ruined? I don't
think so. If what is ruining your life is the discomfort by inhaling air that
is, for you, unsafe, okay--but, given what you've well described as your
environmental sensitivities, I have to question whether the absence of backyard
fires would suddenly make your life not ruined.
Second, why is "few" in quotation marks? How many people are, in fact,
adversely affected? Please don't say "all of us," because most of us, even if
it's not healthy, don't have our quality of life changed. I have been
wondering this for a while, given this discussion--for how many people is this
an issue, and what is the tipping point? If having such fires harms even one
person, should they be banned? If that's not enough, then what is?
My son goes to a college that is co-ed by room. There are two bathrooms on
each floor. They vote on what to do--if even one woman objects to co-ed
bathrooms, then one is a women's room. Should we do the same with backyard
fires?
The comparison of backyard fires with mindless shooting of guns does little to
advance the discussion, Pete. It is what the philosophers call an argument "ad
absurdem," in which you portray your opponent's position in an extreme and
unfair way.
I know that you feel strongly about this issue, as your many posts have made
clear. And for you there is no middle ground--any fire in the city, no matter
where it is, is unacceptable to you, for legitimate reasons of health. What is
troubling to me about this is what I'll call just the opposite of majority
rule: the tyranny of the minority. I'm not yet convinced that all neighborhood
fires should be banned because of one, or, at least, a couple of voices.
I do have a fire pit (more of a fire basket) in my garage. It is seldom used,
although I also have a fireplace in the house, which gets used more. I'm not
sure that the latter is any better, to be honest.
I can't help but think that there is some compromise, some middle ground.
Where I live, in Cooper, just north of Lake Street, I have only noticed an
evening or two in the last decade where there was enough odor and smoke to
catch my attention. Perhaps it's only because I suffer no maladies--but it may
also be a product of prevailing winds and topography. I'm wondering if you
either have pyromaniacs for neighbors or buildings that prevent the wind from
disappating the smoke.
And as for Dave Wink, who shows some sensitivity of his own to the issues
raised here, I say, talk to your neighbors. Find out who they are, and if a
fire will bother them. Figure out the winds in your backyard, and, if you do
have a fire, keep it small. But don't despair just yet. However this
proceeds, it's a pretty neat neighborhood.