An open letter to my neighbour

Tue, Jan 31. 2012

Dear Neighbour: I am kindly asking you to be considerate of your neighbours before you decide to light bushfires on your property. The smoke that emits from these fires is hazardous to us, your neighbours, and to the surroundings.{{more}} The debris that blows through the air from your bushfire is harmful to the environment and it is a nuisance when it blows through the rest of the neighbourhood.

Dear Neighbour, you need to be considerate that the smoke which is billowing from the fire is very harmful to some persons. Some of us, your neighbours, have health concerns such as asthma, allergies and sinus headaches. Some of us have small children in our homes. Before you light your fire do you stop to consider that it may affect the health and well-being of others around you? Not only does the smoke affect our homes, clothing, furniture and newly-washed laundry, the smoke from your fire also sends some of us to the doctor for relief from nasal congestion. You need to consider the health hazard of lighting these fires before you begin the task.

Dear Neighbour, when you hire another person to clean your yard, make sure that they follow correct procedures if they are going to light a fire. Under your hire and instruction, the handyman should take the necessary precautions to ensure that the fire and smoke do not last for a long period and do not disrupt the normal comfort of us, your neighbours. Come on, would you be comfortable if we lit fires that blew smoke and debris directly into your house?

So, Neighbour, as the dry season gets fully started now, I hope you will be more considerate when you proceed to light bushfires. After all, whether you are a shopkeeper, an accountant or a Minister, we are all just neighbours.

Signed, Your Neighbour