County residents need to contact county before burning

A Red Flag Warning by the National Weather Service caught local fire chiefs by surprise last Saturday.

The NWS issued the red flag warning due to atmospheric conditions being favorable for a wildfire to occur.

Brush piles and yard clippings in the county are legal to burn but residents are required to contact the county dispatch center at 482-9111 for permission. The dispatcher will contact the fire chief with jurisdiction over the portion of the county in which the controlled burn will occur and they will give final okay on the burn.

Jasper Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang stated it is important for county residents to notify the dispatch center and fire departments about controlled burns. “We just want to prevent putting any lives in danger by responding to a controlled burn because someone didn’t notify us of it beforehand ” he said. “In cases like last Saturday, we (fire chiefs) also would have denied the request for the controlled burn due to the NWS Red Flag Warning that was issued.”

County residents are directed to contact 482-9111 or the fire department with jurisdiction over their area of the county prior to a controlled burn.