With snow still on the ground and rain on the way, it may seem strange to think controlled burn season is coming soon.
In fact, controlled burns could begin areawide as soon as conditions dry out — and Lyon County Fire Districts 4 and 5 had a small grass fire to extinguish just east of Emporia earlier this week, even with some snow cover nearby.
If you’re planning a controlled burn this winter and spring, Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell says county policies haven’t changed. What has changed, at least online, is where you find all the needed information to let authorities know about your plan.
The online form asks for basic information — name, phone number, home address and email address — as well as the type of burn, location of burn, amount of acres to burn and whether the burn is active or extinguished. Landowners are told to fill out the form before they burn and then return to the form to report the fire is out.
Lyon County has moved away from official burn permits over the last several years, but residents are still highly encouraged to use the website instead of the long-held tradition of calling Lyon County Emergency Communications to report burns. Fell says the online document lets county authorities track fire activity easier, meaning faster emergency responses if fires go out of control, and online reporting also sharply reduces the call load for emergency dispatchers.
Fell says county landowners cannot burn whenever the National Weather Service issues a red flag warning. He urges landowners to pay attention to the weather forecast, and not just for the day of the planned burn.
The city of Emporia, meanwhile, has slightly different policies. Burns can only take place between 7 am and 7 pm and cannot take place if wind speeds are above 15 mph. Burns also have to be at least 50 feet from any structure unless in an approved container, in which cases the fires can be within 15 feet from structures.
*Click here for Lyon County’s controlled burn information page.
*Click here for the city of Emporia’s open burning information page.
If you need to call in your burn, the Emergency Communications non-emergency number is 620-343-4225.
