Brandon Twp.- New ordinances from the fire department passed by the township board at their July 2 meeting will require that residents have their addresses posted in a specific size and location, and also that residents get a permit for burning.
The new address ordinance provides specifications that an address be posted at the entrance to driveways and be 3 inches in height. Homes within 75 feet of the roadway can be posted on the house.
‘A quarter of homes in the township are not in compliance,? notes Fire Chief Bob McArthur. ‘When we come across them, we will notify them.?
The fire department offers green reflective signs at a cost of $22, but McArthur notes there are many other ways to also get an appropriate number posted. McArthur says trying to find a home in the middle of the night without proper address signage is difficult.
‘It’s hard enough when the sign is posted,? he said. ‘When there is nothing out there, you’re trying to guess where the house is. You might not care if the UPS guy can’t find you, but you will care when we can’t find you. It’s an ordinance to ensure public safety officers have a better means of locating the homes.?
An amended burn ordinance will enable the fire department to enforce an already updated procedure. Residents must get a burning permit, which tells them what they can’t burn, where they can burn, and the days they can burn.
‘We’ve operated under this for three years, but never had an ordinance that can be enforced with a court appearance ticket,? McArthur said.
Other ordinances approved include a prevention code ordinance that adopts the 2003 International Fire Code, a companion code to the International Building Code (the new code makes both identical, with no discrepancies); and a Hazardous Material Spill Cost Recovery Ordinance that enables the fire department to recoup costs that can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the severity of the spill.