 Fire
up the grill: City Council rejects fire-code provision
J.
Shane Mercer,The Forum
Published Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Moorhead grillers can rest easy for the moment because the City Council
decided Monday not to approve a fire-code provision that would have banned most
grilling on apartment balconies.
The proposed code would have prohibited individuals from lighting an open
fire on a balcony “above ground level.” It would also have banned grilling
on ground-level patios within 15 feet of the building.
The move came as something of a surprise. Council members passed the first
reading of the fire-code update on Aug. 6.
Apartment complexes of three or more units would have been subject to the
rule. There were exceptions for permanently mounted grills that used the
building’s gas supply or electrical system.
Moorhead resident Sonia Hohnadel addressed the council Monday in opposition
to the ordinance.
“I really felt that this was a liberty that was going to be taken away from
my family,” she said, noting that when someone is grilling, the grill is being
watched.
But she said she loves Moorhead. “I’m not going to move to Fargo just
because I can’t grill.”
Councilwoman Nancy Otto asked Moorhead Fire Marshall Rich Duysen if Fargo has
a similar ordinance. When he said he didn’t believe so, Otto said she would
“just as soon wait with this until we can move with Fargo.”
She said she hated to give anyone a reason not to rent an apartment in
Moorhead.
Mayor Mark Voxland and Councilman John Rowell also favored opening a
conversation with Fargo about the no-grill code.
Councilwoman Lauri Winterfeldt-Shanks and Councilman Greg Lemke dissented
from the majority, favoring the proposed code change.
“We shouldn’t wait for a disaster to happen,” Winterfeldt-Shanks said.
“The people asking for this are the firefighters,” and they’ll be the ones
taking a “chance with their lives” if there is a fire.
“I certainly believe in an individual’s right to do what they want on
their individual property,” Lemke said. But in this case, there is the
potential for a number of people to be killed, injured or left homeless, he
said.
Duysen said he was disappointed with the council’s decision. He hopes the
matter will come back before the council.
The no-grill provision considered by the council was developed by the
Minnesota fire marshal’s office. But the state fire marshal’s office left
the provision out of state code, allowing localities to decide whether to
include the regulation.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Shane Mercer at (701) 451-5734
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