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Emergency management: fire restrictions easing, burn permits to resume; fire tender purchase delayed pending vendor pricing
Summary
The county’s emergency-management director said state fire restrictions were expected to lift and the county would resume approving burn permits; staff also sought direction on purchasing a fire tender but asked to delay while vendor pricing and alternative tanks are confirmed.
Duchene County’s director of emergency management, Josh Phillips, told the commission on Sept. 15 that state fire restrictions were anticipated to be lifted and that county burn-permit approvals would resume once the state finalized its notice. Phillips said the county had already issued at least one special permit over the weekend (a burn to dispose of botulism-contaminated hay for a resident) and would continue to process permits with appropriate caution.
Separately, county staff returned with an update on purchasing a new fire tender. Staff reported that a bid for the tank portion of a tender was not finalized; a vendor (WE Machine) has pressure-tested tanks on hand but had not provided final pricing. The last quoted additional tank cost previously discussed was $26,000, and staff estimated the overall tender project cost could approach $402,000 (including the tank and truck). The county asked procurement staff to provide the other truck quotes and to return with firm pricing; commissioners asked staff to pause the purchase until the vendor confirms the tank price or alternatives are identified.
Why it matters: Reopening burn permits affects public safety and land management in the county’s burn window. The fire tender acquisition is a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar capital decision that the commission prefers to finalize only after firm vendor pricing and multiple bids are in hand.
Ending: Emergency management staff will begin approving burn permits when the state lifts restrictions and will return with finalized quotes or alternate tank/truck options before the commission resumes procurement for the fire tender.
