Fire officials enact new rules for outdoor burning

Folks who burn yard debris or have campfires in Sisters have some new rules to live by.

A new process for regulating all outdoor burning in the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District becomes effective May 1, according to Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler.

“This new process eliminates a written burning permit,” Wheeler explained. “Our former permit will be replaced with a detailed list of regulations for all outdoor burning including residential yard debris fires, campfires, ceremonial bonfires, barbecue pit fires, incinerator barrel fires, field burning and agricultural fires.”

Residents doing any outdoor burning will be required to have a copy of the new regulations on site, comply with those regulations, and continue the current practice of calling the district to hear a recorded message to learn if it is a “burn day” or “no-burn day,” Wheeler added.

All existing burning permits are canceled, Wheeler said. Any resident wishing to conduct outdoor burning will need to visit any of the district’s fire stations for a copy of the new regulations, he added.

“The regulations are similar to what is being administered in the City of Bend and follow the standard Oregon fire code for outdoor burning,” Fire Chief Tay Robertson stated.

“The primary reason for this change is that the permit system that we have followed for the past dozen years has created over 3,000 entries in our computer system. In many cases three or four names are listed at the same address because people have moved out and new residents have moved in,” he said

The regulations also list specific materials prohibited from being burned including garbage, plastic, rubber, and any materials creating dense smoke and noxious odors. A reminder of creating defensible space around rural residences to prevent losses to wildfires also appears with the regulations. The fire district information sheet also suggests that residents check with their property owners association for any additional burning restrictions.

Failure to meet all burning regulations is a violation of the fire code.

Only four residents attended an April 8 public meeting to review a draft of the new process. Most concerns expressed by those attending were directed at the regulations allowing campfires to burn after dark and on “no burn” days provided that all other requirements were followed.

In the neighboring Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District, Chief Chuck Cable stated that they are continuing with their written permit program.

“Self-issued permits may be obtained at both fire stations 24 hours a day,” he said. “The resident dates and signs the permit and agrees to follow our nine major prevention steps. A copy is left and the resident takes a copy.

“This is a lifetime permit,” Chief Cable said.” When we enter an address in our computer system and there is an existing permit at the same address, it purges the old permit and replaces it with the new information.”

A person doing illegal burning is given two written warnings and then may be fined up to $500 for a third violation, he added.

Campfire permits are issued using the same guidelines as the Oregon Department of Forestry that has responsibility on wildland protection. The district does try to “stay in tune” with how Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District regulates their burning, Chief Cable said.

“We do have fewer residents in our district and we haven’t seen a big demand for campfire permits,” the Chief said. “However, when residents do have a campfire, there are standards for clearing the area and burning only clean firewood, not woody debris or needles that create airborne sparks. Campfires are allowed on improved property with a fire ring, a cleared area around the ring and available water. However, we do not encourage campfires that are visible from roadways because it results in good intent false alarms from passing motorists.”

The design and implementation of the district’s burning permit process is credited with reducing their illegal open burning responses by 40 percent (35-40 calls), Chief Cable said.

“That’s a significant number of calls that would have required volunteer and fire apparatus response including mutual aid,” he said.

“The district does reserve the right to close all outdoor burning, including campfires and the use of charcoal when deemed necessary, usually associated with a red flag warning and extreme fire conditions,” he noted.

Within the Black Butte Rural Fire Protection District, a lifetime written burning permit is still required, according to Fire Chief Ed Sherrell.

“A written permit is required for any outdoor burning and the resident then is required to call the district to learn if it is a ‘burn day’ or a ‘no burn’ day, even for campfires,” he said. “No fires, including campfires, are allowed after dark.”

Once the Oregon Department of Forestry declares fire season, all outdoor burning is stopped in the district, including campfires. The district also prohibits the use of charcoal briquettes once fire season is underway because of the risk of fires starting from discarded ashes, Chief Sherrell added.

“We do have fewer outdoor burning permits than some other fire districts have because of the number and type of residents we have,” he said.