The Swampscott Board of Health is moving forward with a draft policy aimed at restricting open fires in town, a step that board members say could eventually lead to a bylaw brought before Town Meeting.

The board has discussed in its most recent meetings about open fires and whether they should be permitted in town, both for safety and health reasons. Members agreed on the direction of the campfire rules but have not taken a final vote, saying the policy remains in draft form and under discussion.

“The position is we don’t want fires in the town,” Board of Health Chair Gargi Cooper said at an October meeting.

Director of Public Health Jeff Vaughan rewrote the board’s position statement on open fires and made a small edit to the draft before circulating it to other members. The statement, he said, is intended to establish the board’s official stance against open fires in Swampscott.

“The reason I’d like to do the open fires one is if this goes the way I’d like it to go, I need to see what the process is for possibly bringing it to town meetings,” Vaughan said.

He said the board should first sign the position statement and then decide whether to pursue a bylaw through Town Meeting.

“The position statement basically should be ‘We don’t want open fires in town,’” he said. “Then if we agree on that, we can just take a second vote as to whether to try to get this into a bylaw by getting it to Town Meeting.”

Vaughan also said the board needs input from Fire Chief Graham Archer before taking any bylaw steps. He said he sent the draft to the chief in advance of the October meeting but had not received a response.

“I reached out and sent this to Fire Chief Archer. He did receive it. He never responded,” Vaughan said. “Before going to Town Meeting I would want his opinion.”

He added that the draft aligns with the fire department’s public mission to reduce fires and protect public health.

“If you look at the mission statement on the fire department website, this pretty much goes right along with what the mission statement says to reduce fires, improve the health of the town,” Vaughan said.

Board of Health Chair Gargi Cooper supported Vaughan’s draft and said she was “happy to sign it” as the board’s position. Cooper also said she would contact the fire chief directly to encourage formal feedback.

“I do know him. I’m happy to text him and just check in and ask him to review it and let us know his official opinion,” she said.

She also raised questions about the correct procedural route for getting an open-fire bylaw on a Town Meeting warrant, suggesting the board clarify whether the matter goes through the Select Board or the town administrator.

“Wouldn’t we just go to Mike McClung or do we go to the select board?” Cooper asked, adding that the Board of Health’s authority over health rules may involve “a little different process.”

Vaughan agreed that a bylaw would require steps beyond a board regulation and said the position statement is meant to start that process.

“If we’re looking to have a town bylaw, not a board health regulation, this is a perfect start,” he said.

Apart from the bylaw discussion, Vaughan said the board wants residents to have clearer access to campfire rules once members finish reviewing the draft.

“Once we review them, we’ll make sure that we get them up somewhere online, somewhere where people can actually see,” he said. “I do get that call every once in a while.”

The board also plans to let residents know when the open-fire policy takes clearer shape.

“Maybe once we get a little traction about where this open fire thing goes, we can advertise that we’re in the process of doing that and generate interest,” Vaughan said.

The board will continue discussing the draft at future meetings after the members complete a full review.