January 2012   

BURN BAN LIFTED

With the recent rains the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court has lifted the burn ban in Fort Bend County. Since the duration of the ban was lengthy, I am sure many people have accumulated a large quantity of debris waiting to be burned. As always, the Willowfork Fire Department strives to make our community fire safe as well as injury free. In doing so, we recommend the following preparations prior to conducting the burn:

• Assure that the location is far enough away from any structures
• Assure the piles are manageable and can be extinguished if needed
• Always keep a water hose handy
• Never leave the fire unattended
• Do not use flammable liquids to ignite the pile
• Keep children away from the area
• Disc or till an area of vegetation around the burn site to assure the fire will not spread
• Burn early, all fire should be out before dark
• Burn only natural products, no tires or petroleum-based products

Please understand the Willowfork Fire Department will extinguish any unattended fire or fire posing a risk to the general public. No portion of the fire can cause a nuisance to the general public. This includes smoke which may be drifting to another person’s property or residence. If upon investigation of a complaint, we find the smoke is bothering someone, you will be asked to extinguish the fire and to wait for a change in wind direction before trying again.

 As a part of lifting the ban, there are several steps that must be taken prior to conducting your burn:

First you must contact your local fire department. Willowfork can be reached by calling
(281)395-0011 and giving us your location and the anticipated time of the burn.

Next you must notify the County Fire Marshal by calling (281)238-1500 as well as
contact the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) at (713)767-3700.

The Willowfork Fire Department wishes you a safe and happy new year. Please practice fire safety in and around the home as well as in your everyday dealings. Conduct periodic safety inspections of your home and place of work and remove all fire and life safety hazards. Practice emergency exiting with children and always have a meeting place outside of the home. Assure that your home is equipped with smoke detection, and please look after your neighbors and assist those around you that can’t complete these simple preventative steps.