Allen County commissioners are taking a closer look at how countywide burn bans are declared. A proposed resolution presented Tuesday would allow fire chiefs in the county to enact burn bans more quickly when conditions warrant.
Emergency Management Director Jason Trego said the proposal was developed to address situations when fire danger increases between the commission’s weekly meetings.
“Typically in Allen County, it’s the Commission that enacts burn bans,” Trego said. “We have run into several times where we get the forecast on Wednesday that the grassland fire danger is going to be very high, extreme or catastrophic.”
Because the Commission meets only once a week, Trego said dangerous fire conditions can arise over a weekend before commissioners have another opportunity to act. “It kind of puts the fire departments in a tough spot to be able to enact a burn ban and tell people they’re not allowed to burn,” he said.
UNDER THE proposal, burn bans would apply only to unincorporated areas of Allen County. Cities would continue to make their own decisions regarding burn restrictions.
Rather than waiting for commission approval, the county’s six fire chiefs would collectively decide when conditions justify a countywide burn ban. Trego said the proposal would give officials the flexibility to respond as weather conditions change, even if a burn ban is only needed for a single day.
The restrictions would cover agricultural burning, tumbleweeds, invasive vegetation, trash barrels, trash containers, bonfires and campfires.
Trego also proposed expanding public notification through the county’s Genasys mass emergency notification system. Residents who sign up could receive burn ban notices by phone call, text message or email. Notices would also be distributed through local media, radio, newspapers and social media.
“That way, we make sure that people know that we are indeed in a burn ban,” he said.
THE PROPOSED resolution would also establish civil penalties of up to $2,500 for intentional burn ban violations. Trego said any penalties collected would be directed to responding fire departments to help recover firefighting costs.
According to Trego, five of the county’s six fire chiefs supported the proposal. The lone dissenting chief favored a warning or smaller fine for a first offense.
“The remainder of the fire chiefs were of the mindset that penalty is really the only way you’re going to prevent people from burning is to really have some teeth behind it to make it stick,” Trego said. “You have to have an enforcement mechanism for people to not burn.”
Commission Chairman David Lee asked what conditions would trigger a burn ban.
Trego said the county already has a wildfire automatic response plan that relies on input from fire chiefs during periods of dangerous fire weather. Under the proposed system, he would notify fire chiefs when conditions such as high winds, excessive temperatures or other hazardous weather develop, and they would vote on whether to issue a burn ban.
Lee also asked who would enforce the resolution. “We’ve had conversations with the sheriff, and he said that if he has a resolution to enforce, he’ll enforce it,” Trego said.
Commissioner John Brocker questioned how many fire chiefs would need to respond before a decision could be made. Trego said assistant and deputy chiefs could respond when necessary, but acknowledged that if enough departments failed to respond, a burn ban would not be issued.
