Burn Ban Lifted Here

Fayette County Commissioners lifted the burn ban at their meeting last Thursday, Nov. 10.

The ban on outdoor burning had been in place for most of the summer due to drought and extreme heat.

At Thursday’s meeting, Weber said he had received several requests from citizens asking the County to lift the ban.

Commissioners surveyed the fire departments across the county before considering the move. Fayetteville Fire Chief Randy Noviskie opposed lifting the ban over concerns about strong wind. Commissioners said all of the other fire chiefs they spoke to did not oppose lifting the ban.

“The winter grass is coming up and the other grasses turned green,” said Pct. 4 Commissioner Drew Brossmann, who also serves as an assistant fire chief for Schulenburg Volunteer Fire Department. “Before it freezes and everything dries up again, I say now is the perfect time to burn as long as the wind isn’t blowing like crazy.”

Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff said a Flatonia fire truck recently got stuck in wet ground while responding to put out a fire that was illegally started during the burn ban.

“Please use common sense,” Brossmann added. “Just because we lift the burn ban it doesn’t mean you can burn no matter what the situation is outside. Just use common sense.”

Brossmann said the County uses its burn ban authority to alleviate volunteer firefighters who can get overwhelmed with grass fires during times of drought.

“They have to take time off from their jobs to volunteer,” Brossmann said. “Whenever these fire departments are getting called out to three, four or five calls a day, the employers might say, ‘I’m not going to pay you to leave or you’re not allowed to leave anymore because it’s too much.’

“We hate to put in the burn bans,” Brossmann added. “We’re not overreaching with the government. That’s not what our plan is. We do it to look out for the fire departments, because they can’t handle the workload.”