Chase County to rely on existing burn rules while drafting updated open-burning policy

Chase County Commissioners said at their March 31 meeting they will continue to enforce the county’s existing open-burning resolution while officials and emergency services staff work on a more detailed, locally tailored update for next year.

The county’s sheriff and fire leadership told commissioners they had reviewed surrounding counties’ rules and will convene the county’s Emergency Services Advisory Committee and local ranchers to develop revisions that clarify notification, enforcement and when burns must be extinguished.

Commissioners, sheriff’s office staff and fire officials said the existing resolution gives them authority to limit or ban burns now, but they want a more explicit document that explains who must be notified, what constitutes supervision and how violations are handled. The sheriff’s office described the current enforcement path as a misdemeanor process that can rely on affidavits and later summonses rather than requiring an on-scene citation in every case. Staff said that process can be used now while a revised resolution is drafted.

Emergency-services staff and the National Weather Service representative discussed technical and outreach tools county officials could use. The National Weather Service was reported willing to run a grassland fire-index training for firefighters and ranchers; staff also recommended exploring local Mesonet or locally sited weather stations and a GIS-based online portal like those used in Lyon and Osage counties so dispatchers and the public can see where control burns have been reported.

Officials emphasized three practical challenges the revised policy should address: wide variation in wind and gusts across the county (conditions can differ by miles), persistent hot spots such as brush piles that remain combustible for weeks, and reduced local resources to fight fires once they spread.

Staff said the county will hold community meetings to gather input from ranchers and large landowners, aim to have a completed draft for commissioner consideration within several months, and target a final policy for the next burn season. In the meantime, they urged residents to follow the current resolution’s requirements, call dispatch before a controlled burn, and be prepared to have burns supervised until fully extinguished.

The county flagged enforcement and communication improvements under consideration, including: using locally sited wind sensors for decisions, expanding public notice methods, and clearer language about supervision and post-burn notifications.

The discussion closed with commissioners and staff agreeing to follow the existing resolution now and continue work with the Emergency Services Advisory Committee, the sheriff, the chiefs and community stakeholders toward a revised, Chase County-specific rule.