Commissioners to Consider a Burn Ban This Week

Fayette County could be headed into a burn ban. The Commissioners Court agenda for the meeting on Thursday, July 13, included an item to consider a ban on burning in the unincorporated areas.

“The temperatures, humidity and fuel conditions are definitely headed in a serious direction,” said Stephen Kelly, President of the Fayette County Firefighters Association and Chief of the Muldoon Volunteer Fire Department.

“In addition to increasing wildland fires and their intensity, the extreme temperatures take a huge toll on firefighters,” Kelly added. “When fires occur in these high temperatures and humidity, many departments have to call in mutual aid (from other departments) for more personnel. Firefighters have to be ‘rehabbed’ quicker and more often leaving a gap in firefighters to fight the fire.”

Kelly said those mutual aid calls place a burden on the responding departments.

“Calling for mutual aid from other departments is a calculated item,” Kelly said. “A department needs the assistance, but it also takes equipment and firefighters away from their home district. I know that everyone is trying to clean up their property, but the toll it takes if your burn gets out of control can be very serious.”

This paper went to press before the Commissioners Court meeting on Thursday. Look for a story about the Commissioners’ decision on the burn ban in Tuesday’s paper. In the meantime, look for an update about the burn ban on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ fcr.news or on Twitter at @ FCR_News