WESTFIELD – Residents of the city and the rest of the Commonwealth may have to reconsider their landscaping habits in light of a new regulation that took effect at the beginning of the month to protect buildings from fires that may start in wood mulch near the buildings.
A new regulation prohibits the application of wood mulch within 18 inches of the combustible exterior of a building to discourage the spread of fire from mulch to a building.
A reminder from the Department of Fire Services of the Executive Officer of Public Safety and Security points out that “mulch is a combustible material that can be easily ignited by improperly discarded smoking materials” and states that “Hundreds of small and large fires are started this way every year.”
The problem is acute around business properties and other places were smokers go outside to indulge their habit.
Too often, when they casually discard their butts, the burning cigarettes land in combustible mulch and ignite it.
The new regulation promulgated by the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations prohibits mulch within 18 inches of a building that has a combustible exterior, such as wood or vinyl. Building owners and property managers are encouraged to use pea stone or crushed rock around a building foundation to prevent burning mulch from reaching the side of a building.
Although residential buildings with fewer than six units are exempted from the regulation, fire services officials recommend that all homeowners comply with the regulation in the interest of safety.
Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan said that firefighters have responded to several fires in mulch this summer but none got out of control.
“At least one time down at the Westfield Shops it was windy and it (a mulch fire) was moving pretty quickly” before firefighters responded to extinguish it she said.
But, she said, “I don’t recall any property damage resulting from a mulch fire.”
Regan said that the new regulation is a response to serious fires which began in mulch including a fire at a Peabody apartment complex in 2008 which caused damage valued at $6.7 million and displaced 750 residents.
The Division of Fire Services reminder also offers safety tips for smokers.
Smokers are advised to use appropriate receptacles for butts and to always make sure their butts are completely extinguished.
Smokers are urged to not discard butts in potted plants or mulch and to always use ashtrays that are deep enough to contain the discarded cigarettes. It is recommended that the contents of ashtrays be doused before they are discarded.
Cigarette butts should be discarded inside vehicles when smoking on the go as the law provides for a $100 fine and/or 30 days imprisonment for throwing butts out of a vehicle window.
The new regulation also sets restrictions for storage and manufacture of combustible mulch requiring size limitations and specifies the distance between mulch piles and their set back from property boundaries. Permits are now required for storage of more than 300 cubic yards of mulch.
