In a public hearing preceding the Jan. 19 meeting, city council members heard, via a YouTube internet meeting, a proposed amendment to the fire code that will, if approved, provide for fines ranging from $500 to $10,000 for violations. Punishment could include up to 90 days imprisonment.

“Persons … who shall erect, install, alter, repair or do work in violation of the approved construction document or directive of the fire code official (or permit or certificate) shall be guilty of violating a fire prevention ordinance,” according to the proposed amendment.

Portable fireplaces, if the amendment is approved, will have to be 25 feet instead of 15 feet from a “structure.”

Also in the amendment is a new paragraph governing fire alarms. If a fire alarm activates (except for a test or maintenance) “owners or occupants shall not reset the system until the fire department arrives and verifies the location of the activated [fire alarm].”

The proposed amendment also modifies the fire code regarding outside-mounted fire alarm systems. Under the amendment, the alarm will be activated when the fire suppression water sprinkler system is activated.

Fire department approval will be required to heat tents and similar structures over 400 square feet.

Above-ground tanks with “flammable cryogenic fluids” (such as natural gas) will face new restrictions. No storage of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) will be permitted in the following zones: RR, RS, R-RC, RG, RT, RR-F and RR-T. In all other areas of Bethlehem, LPG tanks are limited to 2,000 gallons or 7,570 liters.

Outdoor cooking operations also have some new restrictions.

Council President Adam Waldron sponsored a proposal to have the Historic Moravian District of Bethlehem added to the World Heritage List. The measure will be on the next regular agenda for a vote.

As described by Google, “World Heritage is the designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.”

Council approved Mayor Robert Donchez’s appointment of Dr. Joseph Bacak III to the Bethlehem Board of Health. The appointment is effective through January 2026. According to the website Healthgrades.com, Dr. Bacak, MD is an internal medicine specialist in Fountain Hill with over 46 years’ experience. He is affiliated with St. Luke’s Hospital, Anderson Campus and St. Luke’s Hospital, Bethlehem Campus.