Brush Fires Don’t Have to Happen

After the cold winter, we are all enjoying the outside and doing the “spring” thing by cleaning up our yards.
Understand how to prevent brush fires from happening.

• If applicable, get a permit. Each town has their own regulation ns regarding open burning. Usually, permits can be obtained by the Fire Department. There is also a “burning season”, this is the time of the year when the Fire Departments allow residents to burn certain materials in order to clean up the debris in their yard. Find out what the timeline is and respect it.

• Check the weather conditions before you burn. Burning is normally allowed provided that the weather conditions are favorable. Burning is usually not allowed when the wind is over a certain speed, because this is a condition that directly relates to the spread of fire.

• Learn what you can and cannot burn. You are allowed to burn dry, natural vegetation grown on the property (unless prohibited by local ordinances). Household trash, plastic, construction materials or tires should not be burned and are illegal to burn in some areas. Not only is it not good for the environment, it is bad for your health to breathe in even a small amount of this chemical laden smoke.

• Check your surroundings. Choose a safe burning site away from powerlines, overhanging limbs, buildings, vehicles and other equipment. You would need at least 3x the height of the pile of vertical clearance to be safe. The site should be surrounded by at least 10 feet of gravel or dirt in all directions. Keep the area around the pile watered down and have a hose and shovel nearby.

• Prepare your piles. Keep your piles small and manageable. Add additional debris once the fire starts to burn down. If using a burn barrel, make sure it is constructed entirely out of metal and that it is properly equipped (at least 3 evenly spaced, 3 inch screened vents and metal top screen).

• Never leave a fire unattended. Stay with the fire until it is completely out. Once the time comes to put it out, saturate the fire with water, turn over the ashes with a shovel and saturate the pile again. Repeat this several times. Check the area over the next several days to make sure the pile did not rekindle.

• When disposing of charcoal briquettes and ash outside, drown the charcoal and ash with plenty of water, stir them and soak again, be sure they are out cold. When putting out smoking materials, “grind” out cigarettes, cigars or pipe tobacco in the dirt-never on a stump or a log. Do not throw smoking materials into brush or leaves. The best practice is to always use an ashtray.
Source: smokeybear.com.