Lee County committee weighs draft ordinance to restrict controlled burns after rise in 911 calls

Members of the Lee County public safety committee discussed a draft county ordinance to regulate controlled burns, citing rising 9‑1‑1 call volume and repeated incidents in which burns spread beyond control.

Shelley, a telecommunicator with the county emergency communications center, told the committee, “Since 02/2023, we have had a 44.1% increase in calls to the 9 1 1 center for controlled burns.” She said dispatchers document each burn call, notify the sheriff’s office and fire departments, and ask callers to report when a burn is finished; callers rarely do so, driving extra follow‑up work for dispatch staff.

The nut graf: committee members said the increase in calls and several instances when burns rekindled or spread to structures justify pursuing an ordinance that could give the county clearer authority to restrict burning during hazardous conditions.

Shelley described how the emergency communications center implemented a policy to advise callers during burn watches and warnings and to notify local fire chiefs, but she cautioned that local chiefs “don’t really have any teeth. We don’t have any reinforcement to tell them they can’t.” Committee members said that lack of enforcement has led to repeated calls and, on at least one day in March, every Lee County fire department being called to burns that got out of control.

Committee member Jeremy summarized the effort: several drafts exist and staff have updated a draft based on input from fire districts and the emergency management agency. Jeremy said the goal is to give the county an enforceable option tied to state warnings or local emergency declarations: “We could do that ourselves or through the sheriff’s department or through the fire protection district… then we have the ability to enforce that on the back end.”

Members noted examples from outside the county of firefighter injuries and large grass fires and raised questions about penalties and how the county’s authority would interact with state regulations and Illinois EPA rules. No formal motion was offered; the item was categorized as discussion only. Jeremy told the committee he expects to have a draft ordinance to discuss next month and wants specific input from local fire chiefs and the EMA director before bringing it forward.

Ending: The committee took no formal action at the meeting; staff will continue drafting the ordinance and seek fire chief input before the committee reviews a proposed ordinance at a future meeting.