LaFayette fire chief encourages safety during Fire Alert
BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — With worsening drought conditions across the state and low relative humidity, the Alabama Forestry Commission announced on April 13 that State Forester Rick Oates has issued a statewide Fire Alert effective immediately. LaFayette Fire Chief Jim Doody said it is important that locals take the Fire Alert seriously and take measures to ensure the safety of the community.
“The biggest thing is not to do any open burning,” he said. “I know people like to burn their leaves and other things like that, but it’s just not the appropriate time to do that. Staffing can be limited with EMS responses, which could hurt the man pool for the fire truck, and you really can’t burn anywhere within city limits without a permit from us. We’re basically just asking folks not to do any outside burning until conditions get a lot better.”
Doody explained that drought is not always obvious, and there are many dangers when fires spread, which could damage property or endanger lives.
“Even if [trees, plants and grass] are green and you think there’s plenty of hydration in the grass, with weather conditions and humidity being what they are, it can significantly cause fire spread,” he said. “It can cause a small campfire, for example, to get out of hand real quick if it’s burning too close to a property line, a residence, a building or a structure of some nature. It doesn’t take much for the winds to pick up and push that fire, and then you really have an issue.”
According to the Alabama Forestry Commission, during the weekend of April 10, 50 wildfires burned more than 2,300 acres of forestland across the state. That includes a 500-acre wildfire in Mobile County, one for 412 acres in Coosa County, one for 382 acres in Choctaw County, one for 260 acres in Washington County and another one for 105 acres in Escambia County. In the last 30 days, 387 wildfires have burned approximately 15,850 acres of forestland across the state.
For those who are not prescription burners, vetted by forestry to conduct controlled burns, Doody said citizens must get permission from the LaFayette Fire Department before burning, and the risks for burning without a permit in dry weather are high.
“We generally work [with people] as long as it’s just small piles of leaves and things like that, we generally require you to call that day,” he said. “I can’t issue you a permit for something three days from now, because I don’t know what the weather is going to be. All it takes is a courtesy phone call to the fire department to ask, ‘Hey, is it okay to burn leaves today?’ And we can say ‘Yay’ or ‘Nay.’ We also, really routinely and daily, are in touch with forestry, so we know the conditions. If there’s a weather advisory or things like that, we will not issue a permit. Generally, for us in the city, we generally do a permit for the day only; you cannot burn at night.
“Generally, what we do is we allow for the burning of small twigs, leaves and things like that; but you can’t burn plastics, you can’t do that kind of stuff,” he said. “We generally require you to be present while it’s burning; you can’t just light the fire and walk away. Most residents have a garden hose available, and they monitor the fire until it’s out. But the easier thing to do is to bag your leaves up and don’t burn at all… If you are burning without permission, you could be charged. And, God forbid, you damage somebody’s home or property, it can really get ugly real fast.”
To contact the LaFayette Fire Department to inquire about burning permission, call (334) 864-8622.
