But sheriff reminds residents to be careful
Burn bans don’t prevent forest fires; people prevent forest fires.
Or at least that’s the thinking at the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, which is hoping this year to hold off on a burn ban for as long as possible, and focus on fire education instead.
Sheriff Bob Braudis makes the final decision as to whether to issue a burn ban for Pitkin County after soliciting input from fire chiefs in Aspen, Snowmass Village, Basalt and Carbondale.
But because levels of fire danger are different in the four communities, sometimes bans needed in Basalt or Carbondale are not needed in Aspen or Snowmass, explained Marie Munday, a Pitkin County sheriff’s deputy.
The two downvalley communities are more arid and are situated at a lower altitude than Aspen and Snowmass, which means that they are more likely to have the specifications — weather, humidity, fuel moistures — that trigger a burn ban. So this year the sheriff’s office is trying a new approach for making decisions about burn bans.
“The sheriff doesn’t want to be overly restrictive, so he’s asking everyone instead to use common sense and to respect the environment,” Munday said. “If everyone does that, we don’t have to worry about fire, whether it’s wet or dry out there.”
Right now it’s dry, at least in Basalt, said Basalt Fire Chief Scott Thompson. The need for a burn ban is indicated by data on an energy release component, which is checked daily. When the number is in the 90th percentile for five consecutive days with “no relief in sight,” a burn ban is needed, Thompson said.
“The bad news is that we’re getting really close to the data indicating that we need to be in a burn ban,” he said.
Basalt straddles Pitkin and Eagle counties — neither of which was subject to a burn ban as of Wednesday afternoon. But there are other restrictions: Thompson said open burning is banned after March 31 and residents must have permits for fires on private land in Basalt.
This year, some of the fire chiefs in Pitkin County want a ban and some do not, but Thompson said he wouldn’t call it a disagreement. The ban just makes more sense in some areas than others, he said.
“We’re looking out at that area to make that educated decision,” he said. “We can’t just arbitrarily say, ‘There’s a burn ban.’ There has to be some statistical data behind that.”
The decision not to effect a burn ban this season is in part to make it clear that the fire chiefs and sheriff institute a ban only when it’s absolutely necessary, said Aspen Fire Chief Darryl Grob.
“In order for the burn ban to be taken seriously, it can’t be perceived as arbitrary,” Grob said. “We don’t want to create the impression to our citizens that we’re simply dropping a burn ban into place.”
Of course, that could change at any time.
Munday said that on a hot day with high winds, the fire-potential status of an area can deteriorate from safe to unsafe very quickly. High levels of vegetation that have resulted from the wet winter provide fuel for fires when they dry out, and there is usually a second dry season in September or October, meaning a ban could go into effect later this season if not in the next few days or weeks.
Burn bans prohibit fires on private property except in gas grills, permanent charcoal grills (which do not blow over like other charcoal grills) and wood fires in permanent fire pits. Bans also prohibit smoking (except in an enclosed vehicle or building), fireworks and explosives with fuses or blasting caps, and internal combustion engines lacking spark-arresting devices.
Most fires are started when people don’t use common sense, Thompson said.
Munday said the sheriff’s office will initiate an advertising campaign in the next few days to educate people about fire dangers.
“That’s our hope, that we wouldn’t have to pass heavy restrictions that affect everybody in the county when everyone can do their part to prevent wildfires,” she said.
elise@aspendailynews.com
