[Vision2020] Burning season precautions

[Jennifer McFarland]

All:
The following release pertains to the burning season.  A PDF file is
available upon request or (shortly) by visiting the Sheriff's Office web
site.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.
Thank You!
--Jennifer

Media Release

To: All media outlets
From: Jennifer L. McFarland
	Public Information Officer
Date: 13 April 2006
RE: Burning season

Burning season is here again, but before you start your slash piles ablaze,
take a few precautionary measures:
.	Find out if you need a permit to burn in your area.  Whether you
live in an incorporated city or in the county, burn regulations might affect
when and what you are able to burn.
.	Contact your local law enforcement agency prior to burning.  Many
permits list this as a requirement, but sometimes people forget to make the
call.  The Latah County Sheriff's Office and Whitcom are responsible for
dispatching and coordinating fire/ambulance and law enforcement response in
Moscow and Latah County.  Knowing that a burn is planned at your address
will help prevent us from sending crews to your house for no reason.
.	Contact your neighbors prior to burning.  Although there is no legal
requirement to notify neighbors that you're burning yard waste, it is common
courtesy.  Many people have smoke allergies and would appreciate a few hours
to assemble things and make plans to stay away during the time you will be
burning.
.	BE PREPARED!  So many of the structure or land fires that the
Sheriff's Office and our local fire departments investigate started as
controlled or planned burns that whipped out of control due to high winds
and lack of planning.  Avoid burning when winds are forecasted.  Make sure
you keep your fire contained and that you have plenty of water or other
retardant necessary to extinguish your blaze.  You should also have shovels
and/or pick-axes accessible should you need to dig a fire containment line.
As such, having extra hands available during the day you burn is also
advisable.  Lastly, do not leave your fire unattended even for a short
period of time.
Even with good precautionary practices, some fires burn beyond your control.
If this happens, be prepared to call 9-1-1 and give explicit and detailed
directions to your property.  We hope that this burning season goes well and
that we see a reduced number of fires that require emergency response.
Thank you.

PIO Jennifer L. McFarland
Latah County Sheriff's Office
Public Information Officer
PO Box 8068
Moscow, Idaho 83843
(208) 882-2216
Fax (208) 883-2281

Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it to affairs.
***Ralph Waldo Emerson