Windy weather forecast prompts Redmond Fire to close outdoor burning season two days early
Barney Lerten
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — With a warm and windy weekend ahead, Redmond Fire & Rescue decided to close outdoor debris burning for the season and enact a burn ban Friday evening at sunset, two days ahead of earlier plans.
During the closure, until further notice, all outdoor debris burning is prohibited in all areas served by Redmond Fire & Rescue in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties.
Fire Marshal Tom Mooney told KTVZ News the early closure was “due to the (forecast) high winds. Our threshold is anything over 10 mph.”
As a reminder, the closure of outdoor debris burning and the enactment of the burn ban prohibits all of the following:
1. Backyard or open burning (branches, yard debris, etc.).
2. Agricultural burning (agricultural wastes, crops, field burning, ditches etc.).
3. Any other land clearing, slash, stump, waste, debris or controlled burning.
4. The use of any type of weed burning torches.
5. Bonfires
3. Burn Barrels
The burn ban does not prohibit:
1. Small outdoor cooking, warming or recreational fires at residential properties. These include portable or permanent fire pits, fire tables, and campfires, with a maximum fuel area of three feet in diameter and two feet in height in a safe location away from combustibles or vegetation and are fully extinguished after use.
2. Barbeque grills, smokers and similar cooking appliances with clean, dry firewood, briquettes, wood chips, pellets, propane, natural gas, or similar fuels.
There may be more restrictive fire safety rules on Deschutes County-Owned Land and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF)-protected land. ODF restrictions may include prohibitions on campfires, smoking, target shooting, powered equipment, motorized vehicles, and other public/private landowner and industrial fire restrictions. More details about ODF fire restrictions are available at Oregon Department of Forestry Public Fire Restrictions. More details about fire restrictions are available at Deschutes County-Owned Land.
Outdoor fires in violation of this closure will be immediately extinguished. If a fire agency responds to a fire that has been started in willful violation of this closure, the person responsible may be liable for all costs incurred, as well as legal fees per ORS 478.965. Burning restrictions are authorized under Oregon Revised Statute 478.960, Oregon Fire Code 307 and Redmond Fire & Rescue Ordinance 5.
Redmond Fire & Rescue encourages the public to use extreme caution with activities that could start a fire. It is everyone’s responsibility to prevent and be prepared for wildfires. Residents are encouraged to continue exercising caution and taking steps to prevent and prepare for the threat of wildfires. That includes:
Creating defensible space:
• Mowing and watering lawns.
• Removing brush, dry grass, and leaves from underneath decks and crawlspaces.
• De-limbing tree branches 6 feet off the ground and well away from your roof.
• Planting low-growing, fire-resistant plants near your home.
• Eliminating fuel sources near and around your home – firewood, fuel tanks, etc.
To request a defensible space assessment of your property please visit, www.rdmfire.org.
Maintaining access:
• The road or driveway to your home should be clear of all debris, dense vegetation, and low-hanging branches. The roadway should be at least 12 feet wide drivable. Turn-out areas are needed if the road or driveway to your home is not large enough for two-way traffic or your home is located at the end of a long driveway or dead-end road.
• The driveway to your home should be designed without sharp curves or steep grades.
• If crossing a bridge is necessary to access your home, it should support 75,000 pounds.
Signing up for Alerts:
To make sure you are receiving the most current alerts regarding Emergency Evacuations (Fire, Flooding, Public Welfare, etc.), Natural Disasters (Fire, Flooding, etc.), Severe Weather or Neighborhood Emergencies, you can sign up for Deschutes Alerts.