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Fines can be significant for people who violate state's open burn regulations this time of year

By Howard B. Owens

A fairly dry winter and an apparently early spring does increase the wild fire danger, and local residents should be especially mindful of the state's open burn regulations from now through May 14, said Tim Yaeger, coordinator for Genesee County Emergency Services.

This time of year, you can't burn leaves, you can't burn brush, you can't burn twigs and branches, you can't burn any other kind of organic material (and you can never burn non-organic material).

The only outdoor fire allowed right now is a small cooking fire that is closely monitored and maintained.

If a fire is spotted, emergency dispatch will be called, a fire company will respond and you could be fined.

"Law enforcement can be called and the fee is significant for those who burn illegally," Yaeger said.

Fires that get out of control -- which is easy in these conditions -- put property and lives at risk.

"During the burn ban time, our goal is to save lives and property," Yaeger said. "That's our biggest concern, that we don't have any property that's not intended to burn, burn, and we don't put any of the public or the firefighters at risk when these fires are preventable."

Leaves, especially, should not be burned, Yaeger said. The embers from such a fire can blow well beyond the fire area and ignite brush and wooded areas, creating potentially fast moving fires.

"We encourage people to compost their leaves," Yaeger said.

Once May 15 passes, organic matter can be burned in the rural parts of the county, and people can once again have small campfires (three feet high and four feet in width or diameter) and ceremonial or celebratory bonfires, but all fires must be attended and monitored.

Certain agricultural waste fires -- organic material -- are also permitted.

At no time can people burn inorganic material.

Last week Yaeger was at a meeting with the state's emergency coordinator and Yeager said the message was that "unsettled weather patterns" create a number of dangers for state residents.

Wind-whipped fire is one matter, but significant storms, even tornadoes are not out of the question.

"There's been some odd weather patterns in the Midwest," Yaeger said. "We hope nothing will occur, but with the weather patterns we're seeing, we must be concerned that we might get some unsettled weather this season."

If you spot a fire, the number to call is (585) 343-5000 or if an emergency situation call 9-1-1.

Michael Bishop

I heard about this a while ago, but never knew exactly what it meant. I got especially worried when I saw a lot of reports in the batavian about the Fire Dept responding to people having fires.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/58519.html

So After May 14, we are able to burn our brush again? It also says branches may be no longer than 8 feet in length. So does that mean our fires in rural areas are able to be larger than the usual 4'x4'x3' fire allowed under their "campfire" rule?

Mar 17, 2012, 1:06am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Sorry Mark it's really not. Its a way to protect the population from idiots with fires who think they can control them. Ever see a community thar has been burned out. Its always some idiot who just wanted to burn some trimmings and leaves. If people had common sense and could be just TOLD not to burn til May then maybe the fines might not be needed. This is not the same as checkpoint issue.

Mar 17, 2012, 7:27am Permalink
Lorna Klotzbach

When did raging, out-of-control campfires become a problem in Genesee County and the rest of Western New York? It seems as though Albany beaurocrats are trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist, with the result of more government regulation of local people. It seems as though we have enough sense to safely burn our brush each Spring, the way we have for centuries, without government interference. I have noticed how many times the fire departments have been called out for brush fires. But--how many fires have actually been problematic? It's time we used government resources for more useful things.

Mar 17, 2012, 8:10am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

When I think of "controlled burns" that get out of control, I think of this fire:

http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/fire-livingston-county-line-require…

A group of Le Roy volunteer firefighters came darn close to getting trapped by a fire.

As much as I hate government regulation, I hate more the idea of somebody getting seriously hurt or killed in a fire, which as Tim said, is preventable.

There have been a half dozen to a dozen, at least, such fires in the past couple of years that have gotten out of control.

Mar 17, 2012, 9:21am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Howard correct me if I am wrong but some of the outlying communites back in California....Specially round San Diego have had to rebuild due to devastating fires with origins like what our local authorities are trying to prevent here?

Mar 17, 2012, 9:28am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

There was just a fire a couple weeks ago in my neck of the woods, in East Bethany on Clipnock rd. I could still smell it on my way home that night after work.

Mar 17, 2012, 9:34am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Kyle, I'm very familiar with the wild fires of California, but the circumstances are very different here.

-- A typical massive California fire is in hilly terrain, which helps it spread and makes it harder to fight;
-- As dry as things are here now, it's still not as dry as California. We have a lot of wooded areas that are still swampy.
-- As brushy as some of our wooded areas are, they're still not as dense as areas in California
-- Typically, in the wooded areas, the trees are not as big
-- Our wooded and brush areas are tiny and separated by big stretches of cultivated land

You're simply not going to see here the kind of 100-acre + brush fire here that is fairly common in California.

Mar 17, 2012, 9:38am Permalink
Bethany Garlock

The law doesn't enforce fire pits in the city to cooking only. I have called to report neighbors burning 5 to 6 times a week and nothing gets done to them . My house fills up with smoke and the smell.It's pretty sad when you can't leave your windows open in the nice weather. With the good weather we are having it's already started. I believe there should be no open pits burning in the city limits period.

Mar 17, 2012, 6:02pm Permalink
Destin Danser

As a volunteer fireman, I do like this law. I don't want to lose my life or the life of a fellow firefighter because somebody couldn't wait a couple months to burn their Brush.

As a resident... I don't like it. Because I have enough common sense to have the fire in a safe area and monitor the wind closely while it's burning. Unfortunately common sense is no longer common in America.

*the views and opinions stated here reflect my personal opinions/beliefs and NOT those of my fire department*

Mar 18, 2012, 7:07am Permalink

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