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County fire chiefs urge ordinance requiring notice before open burns; supervisors set public hearing
Summary
County fire chiefs proposed an open-burning ordinance that would require callers to notify county dispatch with location, acreage and mitigation details before controlled burns; supervisors referred the draft to the county attorney and set a public hearing for review.
Local fire officials told the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors that recent grass and brush fires, combined with dry conditions and high winds, have strained volunteer departments and prompted a request for clear notification requirements.
The draft ordinance would require residents to call the county dispatch center’s non-emergency number before conducting structured or prescribed burns, provide an address, estimated acreage, contact information and available fire-mitigation measures on site. Fire chiefs argued the requirement is a courtesy that reduces unnecessary full fire-department responses to known controlled burns and helps protect volunteer availability for other emergencies.
Supervisors and county legal staff discussed exceptions (grills, smokers, small burn barrels), penalties for violating burn ban provisions and cross-jurisdictional coordination with city/township fire chiefs. The board voted to send the draft to the assistant county attorney for modification and to set a public hearing to solicit community input.
Next steps: legal staff will revise the draft ordinance, incorporate code references and prepare a public hearing date for community review.
