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Guidelines for
Open Burning
It is the Desire
of the Crawford County Commissioners, the Crawford County Firefighters
Association and its Member Fire Departments that all open burning
conducted within the county is done in a safe manner. These guidelines
are an effort to inform anyone that is performing open outdoor burning
of the proper procedures and safety practices that should be followed:
BURNING BANS
- Enactment
and Enforcement of Burning Restrictions (Burn Ban)
- Should
environmental or other conditions warrant the enactment of
burning restrictions the Crawford County Commissioners shall by
duly adopted motion enact such burning restrictions which shall
be published by official county news agencies. Burning
restrictions shall become enforceable at the time of
publication.
-
Enactment of Burning Restrictions may be executed for the Entire
County or portions of the county and shall be clearly defined
within the duly adopted motion.
- Open
Burning SHALL NOT BE PERMITTED under any
circumstances in the areas designated by the enacted duly
adopted motion.
- Persons
performing open burning in direct violation of county duly
adopted motion will be subject to Citation and Fine.
OPEN BURNING
(BURN BAN NOT IN EFFECT)
- OPEN
BURNING shall be
pursuant to the regulations of the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment and other government agencies regulating emissions.
-
AGRICULTURAL BURNING
(FIELDS, PASTURES, WOODED AREAS) - Prior to commencement of
open burning for agricultural purposes persons conducting said burn
shall contact the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department at (620)
724-8274. Please provide: Name of Responsible Person, Contact
Number (Cell Phone Preferred, Keeping Cell Phone on you at all
times), Physical Location or Address of the Burn, and Type of Burn
(Brush Pile, Field, etc……)
- FIRES
MUST BE ATTENDED -
Burning SHALL BE ATTENDED by an adult for the duration
of the burn and be completely extinguished prior to leaving the area
unattended.
-
EXTINGUISHING MEASURES
- A fully charged hose or other device(s)*** shall be present and
available for immediate use at the site to control the fire should
it extend to undesired areas or property.
- FIRE
SIZES - Open burning
SHALL NOT be conducted within 25 feet of any property line,
structure, or combustible material when the pile size is 4 feet or
less in diameter by 3 feet or less in height. Any pile larger than
4 foot diameter or greater then 3 foot in height shall be at least
100 feet from any roadway or adjacent structure, unless written
permission is obtained from the neighboring property owner(s).
-
RESTRICTED MATERIALS -
Burning of heavy oils, roofing materials, tar paper, tires, or other
similar materials is prohibited.
- BURNING
TIMES - Burning
SHALL NOT START until at least one half hour after sunrise.
Burning SHALL NOT be conducted during inclement weather,
foggy conditions, or extensive cloud cover. Wind speed SHALL NOT
be more then 15 MPH. All fires shall be out by dark.
-
Exception 1 – Large Brush Piles
-
Applies to Large Brush Piles generated from the clearing of
land for any purpose.
-
Large Brush Piles SHALL HAVE a clear zone created
around the pile of at least 75 feet in all directions from
the edge of the pile. This area shall be free from
combustibles such as light vegetation and brush. Tilled or
barren ground is preferred.
-
Prior to Ignition the Crawford County Sheriffs Department
shall be notified. (See
AGRICULTURAL BURNING)
-
Ignitions of Large Brush Piles must occur within 1 hour of
Sunrise to enable as much of the pile to burn as possible
prior to Sunset. It is understood that fires of this nature
are most likely not going to be completely extinguished by
Sunset. The intent of this guideline is to assure the bulk
of the fuel is expended allowing the remaining embers to be
safely left unattended.
-
Exception 2 – Fields
- It
is understood that because of windy conditions large fields
may not be able to be ignited until later in the day, which
in turn may lead to fires that are not completely out by
night fall. The intent of these guidelines is to encourage
this type of burning to start at the earliest possible time.
- It
is also recommended in situations where fields boarder
Timber or Brushy areas that a tilled barrier of at least 30
feet be created prior to beginning any burning.
-
Prior to Ignition the Crawford County Sheriffs Department
shall be notified. (See
AGRICULTURAL BURNING)
- It
is also the responsibility of the person responsible for the
burn to make certain that before leaving these fires
unattended after dark that every effort is made to make
certain that exterior edges of the burn are completely
extinguished within 50 feet of the edge of the burn, and
that debris within the burned area cannot be carried by wind
gust to near by unburned vegetation.
- CEASE
AND DESIST ORDERS -
Burning shall be discontinued immediately if Law Enforcement, The
Area Fire Chief, or Area Fire Chief’s Authorized Personnel determine
that smoke emissions are offensive to occupants of the surrounding
property or if the open burning is determined to constitute a
hazardous condition.
Persons conducting
open burning assume all responsibility and liability for any damage
resulting from any open burning.
*** Other
Device(s) may include ATV’s, Farm Equipment, or other equipment adequate
to achieve immediate fire control should it become necessary.
Should any open
burning extend beyond your capability to safely and quickly extinguish
it?
DO NOT DELAY IMMEDIATELY CALL 911.
Uncontrolled or
unattended fires can cause considerable damage and inflict considerable
expense on your local fire department. Please use these guidelines to
help you burn safely and responsibly.
Sincerely,
Crawford County
Firefighters Association and its Member Departments |
