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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023 Burn Level Restrictions version 06.12.23 Jefferson County WA - Fire Risk – Burn Level – Allowed – Restrictions Guideline (Version 06.12.23) FIRE RISK LEVEL ALLOWED - RESTRICTED - OTHER(Grey) 0 • Open Burning Season Per Regulations Monitor Air Quality Restrictions (ORCAA) Fire Weather Season LOW (Green) 1 • Land Clearing / Yard Debris – Unincorporated areas of Jefferson County. • Wood Fires (Recreational). • Wood or Solid Fueled Cooking Fire – To Include: Charcoal Barbeque Grills, Smokers, and or Pellet Fed Appliances. • Gas or Propane Fueled Appliances. • Tiki Torches. • Liquid Fuel Candles or Lanterns. • Discharge of Fireworks. • Discharge of Fire Arms (Open Lands). • Urban Growth Areas (UGA) - Land Clearing / Yard Debris – Is closed Year Round. MODERATE (Blue) 2 • Wood Fires (Recreational). • Wood or Solid Fueled Cooking Fires – To Include: Charcoal Barbeque Grills, Smokers and or Pellet Fed Appliances. • Gas or Propane Fueled Appliances. • Tiki Torches. • Liquid Fuel Candles or Lanterns. • Discharge of Fireworks. • Discharge of Fire Arms (Open Lands) - Undeveloped Lands of Jefferson County . FIRE RESTRICTION • Jefferson County Resolution No. 21-23 Land Clearing / Yard Debris Fires Burn Restrictions July 1 – Sept 30 Or • Watch for Fire Restriction being issued prior to July 1 or extended beyond Sept 30, Based on Atmospheric and Field Conditions. • Gas or Propane Fueled Weed Burners are Restricted. HIGH (Yellow) 3 • Gas or Propane Fueled Appliances. • Wood or Solid Fueled Cooking Fire - Enclosed Flame Only. (Example: – Pellet Fed Charcoal Barbeque Grills, Smokers.) FIRE RESTICTION • Land Clearing / Yard Debris Fires – CLOSED - Unincorporated areas of Jefferson County. • Wood Fires – Recreational. • Wood, Charcoal Cooking Fires (BBQ). • Tiki Torches. • Liquid Fuel Candles or Lanterns. • Gas or Propane fired Weed Burners. • Discharge of Fireworks of Any Type. • Discharge of Fire Arms (Open Lands) - Undeveloped Lands of Jefferson County. VERY HIGH (Orange) 4 • Gas or Propane Fueled Appliances ONLY. FIRE RESTRICTIONS • No Outdoor Burning or Discharge EXTREME (Red) 5 • CLOSED. CLOSED • No Outdoor Fire, Burning, or Discharge of Any kind or Type. Jefferson County WA - Fire Risk – Burn Level – Allowed – Restrictions Guideline (Version 06.12.23) DEFINITIONS: APPROVED FIRE PIT - A device made of rock, metal, concrete or any other noncombustible material and shall not be more than thirty-six inches in diameter and twenty-four inches high. AGRICULTURAL BURNING - Means outdoor burning regulated under chapter 173-430 WAC, including, but not limited to, any incidental agricultural burning or agricultural burning for pest or disease control. AIR POLLUTION EPISODE - Means a period when a forecast, alert, warning, or emergency air pollution stage is declared, as stated in chapter 173-435 WAC. BONFIRE - (IFC Chapter 2 Definitions Bonfire). An outdoor fire utilized for ceremonial purposes. CONSTRUCTION/DEMOLITION DEBRIS - Means all material resulting from the construction, renovation, or demolition of buildings, roads, and other man- made structures. CHARCOAL - Is a solid fuel used for heating and cooking that is created through the process of carbonization, which is a process where complex carbon substances—such as wood or other biomass—are broken down through a slow heating process into carbon and other chemical compounds. EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL - The term “explosive” material means explosives, blasting agents and detonators. FIRE - Is the combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke. FIREWORKS - Any composition or device for the purpose of producing a visible or an audible effect for entertainment purposes by combustion, deflagration or detonation that meets the definition of 1.3G fireworks or 1.4G fireworks. And a device containing gunpowder and other combustible chemicals that causes a spectacular explosion when ignited, used typically for display or in celebrations. FIREFIGHTING INSTRUCTION FIRES - means fires for instruction in methods of firefighting, including, but not limited to, training to fight structural fires, aircraft crash rescue fires, and forest fires. FIRE ARMS - Any weapon (including a starter gun) which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive; The frame or receiver of any such weapon; Any firearm muffler or firearm silencer; or any destructive device. FIRE WOOD - Means bare untreated wood used as fuel in a solid fuel burning device, Indian ceremonial fire, or recreational fire. Jefferson County WA - Fire Risk – Burn Level – Allowed – Restrictions Guideline (Version 06.12.23) GAS or PROPANE FUELED APPLIANCES - Natural gas and propane are both gas fuels widely used in cooking and heating. In most of the world, natural gas is distributed through a centralized pipeline network (local, national and even international), while propane is almost always sold in tanks of various sizes. Both propane and natural gas are highly efficient cooking fuels, and stoves can be readily adjusted to use either one. HAULED MATERIAL - No outdoor fire may contain material (other than firewood) that has been hauled from an area where outdoor burning of the material is prohibited under WAC 173-425-040. Any outdoor burning of material hauled from areas where outdoor burning of the material is allowed requires an appropriate permit under WAC 173-425-060(2). and any use of property for this purpose on an on-going basis, must be limited to the types of burning listed in WAC 173-351-200 (5)(b) (criteria for municipal solid waste landfills) and approved in accordance with other laws, including chapter 173-304 WAC (Minimum functional standards for solid waste handling) and chapter 173-400 WAC (General regulations for air pollution sources). (RCW 70.94.745(6)) HIGH FIRE HAZARD – Means a period of hot, dry weather accompanied by low fuel moisture, where fire starts quickly, spread furiously, and burn intensely and are difficult to control unless they are successfully attacked when the fires are small. It is during this period that wildland fires can be expected, and fire growth will be accelerated. IMPAIRED AIR QUALITY - means a first or second stage impaired air quality condition declared by ecology or a local air authority in accordance with WAC 173-433-140. LAND CLEARING BURNING - means outdoor burning of trees, stumps, shrubbery, or other natural vegetation from land clearing projects (i.e., projects that clear the land surface so it can be developed, used for a different purpose, or left unused). (RCW 70.94.750(2)) LIQUID FUEL CANDLES or LANTERNS - Variations can include a round-shaped enclosure or windows The light source can be a candle, liquid oil with a wick, gas with a mantle. NATURAL VEGETATION - Means unprocessed plant material from herbs, shrubbery, and trees, including grass, weeds, leaves, clippings, pruning’s, brush, branches, roots, stumps, and trunk wood. NUISANCE - Means, an emission of smoke or any other air contaminant that unreasonably interferes with the use and enjoyment of the property upon which it is deposited. (RCW 70.94.030(2)) OTHER OUTDOOR BURNING - means any type of outdoor burning not specified in WAC 173-425-020 (1) or (2)(a) through (i), including, but not limited to, any outdoor burning necessary to protect public health and safety. (RCW 70.94.650(7) and 70.94.765) Jefferson County WA - Fire Risk – Burn Level – Allowed – Restrictions Guideline (Version 06.12.23) OUTDOOR BURNING - means the combustion of material of any type in an open fire or in an outdoor container without providing for the control of combustion or the control of emissions from the combustion. For the purposes of this rule, "outdoor burning," means all types of outdoor burning except agricultural burning and silvicultural burning. (RCW 70.94.743(2)) OPEN BURNING - (IFC Section 105 Permits, 105.6.32 Open Burning) An operational permit is required for the kindling or maintaining of an open fire or a fire on any public street, alley, road, or other public or private ground. Instructions and stipulations of the permit shall be adhered to. Exception: Recreational Fires. PERMITTING AGENCY - Means the agency responsible for issuing permits (including adopting a general permit) for, and/or enforcing all requirements of this chapter that apply to, a particular type of burning in a given area (unless another agency agrees to be responsible for certain enforcement activities in accordance with WAC 173-425-060 (1)(a) and (6). POLLUTANTS EMITTED BY OUTDOOR BURNING - Means carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, and various volatile organic compounds and toxic substances. PORTABLE OUTDOOR FIREPLACES - (IFC Definitions Portable Outdoor Fire Places). A portable, outdoor, solid-fuel burning fireplace that may be constructed of steel, concrete, clay, or other noncombustible material. A portable outdoor fireplace may be open in design, or may be equipped with a small hearth opening and a short chimney or chimney opening in the top. Outdoor or portable fireplaces shall be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. REASONABLE ALTERNATIVE - Means a method for disposing of organic refuse (such as natural vegetation) that is available, reasonably economical, and less harmful to the environment than burning. RECREATIONAL FIRE - means cooking fires, campfires, and bonfires using charcoal or firewood that occur in designated areas or on private property for cooking, pleasure, or ceremonial purposes. Fires used for debris disposal purposes are not considered recreational fires. RECREATIONAL FIRE - (IFC Chapter 2 Definitions Recreational Fire). An outdoor fire, burning materials other than rubbish, where the fuel being burned is not contained in an incinerator, outdoor fire place, portable outdoor fire place, barbeque grill or barbeque pit and has a total fuel area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth or similar purpose. Examples: cooking fires, campfires, beach fires and bonfires. RESIDENTIAL BURNING – WAC 173-425-030(22) means the outdoor burning of leaves, clippings, pruning’s and other yard and gardening refuse originating on lands immediately adjacent and in close proximity to a human dwelling and burned on such lands by the property owner or his or her Jefferson County WA - Fire Risk – Burn Level – Allowed – Restrictions Guideline (Version 06.12.23) designee. (RCW 70.94.750(1) Only one residential burning pile which has a total fuel area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height, is allowed at any one time. RUBBISH - (IFC Definitions Rubbish – Trash). Combustible and noncombustible waste material, including residue from burning of coal, wood, or other combustible material, paper, rags, cartons, tin cans, metals, mineral matter, glass crockery, dust and discarded refrigerators, and heating, cooking or incinerator type appliances. SILVICULTURAL BURNING - Means outdoor burning relating to the following activities for the protection of life or property and/or the public health, safety, and welfare: a. Abating a forest fire hazard; b. Prevention of a forest fire hazard; c. Instruction of public officials in methods of forest firefighting; d. Any silvicultural operation to improve the forest lands of the state; and e. Silvicultural burning used to improve or maintain fire dependent ecosystems for rare plants or animals within state, federal, and private natural area preserves, natural resource conservation areas, parks, and other wildlife areas. (RCW 70.94.660(1)) SMOKER - A device in which food is exposed to smoke and low temperature heat for the purpose of preserving and enhancing the food with a variety of distinctive smoky flavors. A Smoker requires some type of low temperature heat source and an oven, which becomes the smokehouse or smoking chamber. The heat source, may be wood, charcoal, gas, electric, or infrared. SOLID FUEL - Refers to various forms of solid material that can be burned and used to cook and heat food. Examples of solid fuels include wood, charcoal, coal, wood pellets. While this cooking method provides a unique charred and smoky flavoring to food, it also presents an elevated element of risk. STORM or FLOOD DEBRIS BURNING - WAC 173-425-030(24): Means fires consisting of natural vegetation deposited on lands by storms or floods that have occurred in the previous two years and resulted in an emergency being declared or proclaimed in the area by the city, county, or state government and burned on such lands by the property owner or his or her designee. (RCW 70.94.743 (1)(c)). TIKI TORCH - A torch made of bamboo with a container of flammable liquid and a wick on top, used especially for lighting outdoor areas. TUMBLEWEED BURNING - WAC 173-425-030(25): means outdoor burning to dispose of dry plants (typically Russian Thistle and Tumbleweed Mustard plants) that have been broken off, and rolled about, by the wind. TURKEY FRYER - Is an apparatus for deep-frying a turkey in vegetable based oil, heated by burner usually a standard propane tank. Jefferson County WA - Fire Risk – Burn Level – Allowed – Restrictions Guideline (Version 06.12.23) UNLAWFUL OUTDOOR BURNING - It is unlawful for any person to cause or allow outdoor burning that causes an emission of smoke or any other air contaminant that is detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of any person, that causes damage to property or business, or that causes a nuisance. RCW 70.94.040, 70.94.650(1) and 70.94.780. a. Any person affected by outdoor burning may file a complaint with the permitting agency or other designated enforcing agency. b. Any agency responding to an outdoor burning complaint should attempt to determine if the burning on any particular property is unlawful. This may include, but is not limited to, considering whether the burning has caused an emission of smoke or any other air contaminant in sufficient quantity to be unlawful. c. Any person responsible for such unlawful outdoor burning must immediately extinguish the fire. URBAN GROWTH AREA (UGA) - Means land, generally including and associated with an incorporated city, designated by a county for urban growth under RCW 36.70A.030. WEED ABATEMENT FIRES - WAC 173-425-030(27): means any outdoor burning to dispose of weeds that is not regulated under chapter 173-430 WAC, which applies to agricultural burning. INTERNATIANL FIRE CODE SECTION 307 - OPEN BURNING, RECREATIONAL FIRES AND PORTABLE OUTDOOR FIREPLACES 307.1 General. A person shall not kindle or maintain or authorize to be kindled or maintained any open burning unless conducted and approved in accordance with Sections307.1.1 through 307.5. 307.1.1 Prohibited open burning. Open burning shall be prohibited when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous. Exception: Prescribed burning for the purpose of reducing the impact of wildland fire when authorized by the fire code official. 307.2 Permit required. A permit shall be obtained from the fire code official in accordance with Section 105.5 prior to kindling a fire for recognized silvicultural or range or wildlife management practices, prevention or control of disease or pests, or a bonfire. Application for such approval shall only be presented by and permits issued to the owner of the land on which the fire is to be kindled. 307.2.1 Authorization. Where required by state or local law or regulations, open burning shall only be permitted with prior approval from the state or local air and water quality management authority, provided that all conditions specified in the authorization are followed. 307.3 Extinguishment authority. Where open burning creates or adds to a hazardous situation, or a required permit for open burning has not been obtained, the fire code official is authorized to order the extinguishment of the open burning operation. Jefferson County WA - Fire Risk – Burn Level – Allowed – Restrictions Guideline (Version 06.12.23) 307.4 Location. The location for open burning shall be not less than 50 feet (15 240 mm) from any structure, and provisions shall be made to prevent the fire from spreading to within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of any structure. Exceptions: 1. Fires in approved containers that are not less than 15 feet (4572 mm) from a structure. 2. The minimum required distance from a structure shall be 25 feet (7620 mm) where the pile size is 3 feet (914 mm) or less in diameter and 2 feet (610 mm) or less in height. 307.4.1 Bonfires. A bonfire shall not be conducted within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of a structure or combustible material unless the fire is contained in a barbecue pit. Conditions that could cause a fire to spread within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of a structure shall be eliminated prior to ignition. 307.4.2 Recreational fires. Recreational fires shall not be conducted within 25 feet (7620 mm) of a structure or combustible material. Conditions that could cause a fire to spread within 25 feet (7620 mm) of a structure shall be eliminated prior to ignition. 307.4.3 Portable outdoor fireplaces. Portable outdoor fireplaces shall be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and shall not be operated within 15 feet (3048 mm) of a structure or combustible material. Exception: Portable outdoor fireplaces used at one and two-family dwellings. 307.5 Attendance. Open burning, bonfires, recreational fires and use of portable outdoor fireplaces shall be constantly attended until the fire is extinguished. Not fewer than one portable fire extinguisher complying with Section 906 with a minimum 4-A rating or other approved on-site fire- extinguishing equipment, such as dirt, sand, water barrel, garden hose or water truck, shall be available for immediate utilization. Jefferson County WA, Ordnance. 42-05, 43-05 & 30-22 Section 1. Outdoor Burn Ban Declared. The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners declare a county- wide ban outdoor burning as defined in WAC 17 3- 425- 03 ( 16), other than for recreational fires as defined in the Uniform Fire Code Chapter 2- Definitions, for all of Jefferson County from July 1, through September 30, concurrent with the burn ban implementation plans of Jefferson County Fire Districts. This county- wide ban outdoor burn ban may be set in place prior to July 1 and may extended beyond September 30, 2022, based upon consultation between the Fire Marshal, County Fire Chiefs, and in consideration of the current atmospheric and field conditions Jefferson County WA, Ordinance 03-0314-22 Fireworks and Sky Lanterns of Jefferson County Title 8 – Health and Safety Chapter 8.75 – Fireworks and Sky Lanterns (2) Limits on the Manufacture, Sale, Transportation, Discharge, Storage or Use of Fireworks Is Prohibited During a Declaration of High Fire Hazard. Jefferson County WA - Fire Risk – Burn Level – Allowed – Restrictions Guideline (Version 06.12.23) 70.77 RCW - STATE FIREWORKS LAW RCW 70.77.395 - Dates and times consumer fireworks may be sold or discharged—Local governments may limit, prohibit sale or discharge of fireworks. (1) It is legal to sell and purchase consumer fireworks within this state from twelve o'clock noon to eleven o'clock p.m. on the twenty-eighth of June, from nine o'clock a.m. to eleven o'clock p.m. on each day from the twenty-ninth of June through the fourth of July, from nine o'clock a.m. to nine o'clock p.m. on the fifth of July, from twelve o'clock noon to eleven o'clock p.m. on each day from the twenty-seventh of December through the thirty- first of December of each year, and as provided in RCW 70.77.311. (2) Consumer fireworks may be used or discharged each day between the hours of twelve o'clock noon and eleven o'clock p.m. on the twenty- eighth of June and between the hours of nine o'clock a.m. and eleven o'clock p.m. on the twenty-ninth of June to the third of July, and on July 4th between the hours of nine o'clock a.m. and twelve o'clock midnight, and between the hours of nine o'clock a.m. and eleven o'clock p.m. on July 5th, and from six o'clock p.m. on December 31st until one o'clock a.m. on January 1st of the subsequent year, and as provided in RCW 70.77.311. (3) A city or county may enact an ordinance within sixty days of June 13, 2002, to limit or prohibit the sale, purchase, possession, or use of consumer fireworks on December 27, 2002, through December 31, 2002, and thereafter as provided in RCW 70.77.250(4).