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Coffey County fire chief urges clearer burn-resolution language as volunteer ranks fall
Summary
Randall Brown of the county fire district told commissioners Coffey County’s volunteer ranks have slipped to about 115 and recommended updating the 2016 burn resolution to clarify whether city jurisdictions are covered and to establish graduated financial penalties to improve compliance.
Randall Brown, representing the county fire district, told the Coffey County Commission on Feb. 23 that volunteer staffing and fire-call volume are straining local capacity and that the county should update its burn-resolution language to avoid enforcement gaps with incorporated cities. “At this time we have 115 volunteers right now. Our normal is 125 to 130,” Brown said, adding that the county averages about 679 calls a year and that grass-fire activity spikes in March and April by roughly 30 to 40 additional calls per month.
Brown described recent equipment upgrades — new SCBA bottles and replacement compressors — intended to support structural firefighting and longer responder endurance. He said the last time the county revisited the burn resolution was 2016 and recommended clarifying whether the resolution’s language is intended to apply to city limits as well as unincorporated areas. “The county can’t tell the city to do anything,” Wade (county counselor) commented, prompting discussion about seeking city adoption or explicit cooperative language that would make enforcement straightforward if a case were prosecuted in Coffey County District Court.
Commissioners and staff discussed enforcement options and penalties. Brown noted that financial penalties that escalate for repeat violations are commonly used in other Kansas counties and may be more effective deterrents than a jail threat that a judge would be unlikely to impose. The county’s burn-permit process was reviewed for public awareness: residents may obtain permits at local fire stations, libraries or city halls and must call dispatch when they begin and finish a burn so dispatch can log and track active burns.
Commissioners asked Brown and county counsel to draft clarifying language that could be shared with the county’s cities for consideration, emphasizing public education and clearer reporting procedures to reduce accidental or unchecked fires.
The commission took no formal vote on ordinance language at the meeting; staff were directed to work with the fire district and counsel on proposed language and outreach.
