NOPS: CAL Fire Transitioning To Winter Mode today, Burning allowed

Monday, November 1, 2010

NOPS: CAL Fire Transitioning To Winter Mode today, Burning allowed

Sonora, CA -- CAL Fire will scale down its available resources next week because of the wet and cooler conditions.

Today, the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit will move completely into winter preparedness mode. While some CAL Fire engines will be available through winter, the transition allows the agency to release seasonal firefighters, reduce staffing on fire engines and close remote wildland fire stations.

Burning is currently allowed 24 hours a day on "Permissive Burn Days," as established by the Air Pollution Control District. Beginning Monday, CAL Fire burn permits will no longer be required until around May 1st.

Landowners may be liable if the burn pile escapes out of control. It is important to remain in attendance, keep a water supply close to the burning site, and refrain from burning on windy days.

Burn day designations are based on burn day information for Tuolumne County. Tuolumne and Calaveras counties frequently coincide in their designations concerning permissive burn days. To be certain whether burning is permitted in your area, call the appropriate phone number listed below.

State law prohibits the use of burn barrels. Some landowners and businesses are required to have a burn permit. Burning within the Sonora city limits requires a permit. Violating the rules is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, jail or both.

Calaveras County residents - (209) 754-6600
Tuolumne County residents - (209) 533-5598
Amador County Burn Day hot line - (209) 223-6246

Burn permits required starting May 1st 2010 by Cal Fire
Permits available during business hours Monday through Friday at the following locations:

Cal Fire Headquarters, 785 Mountain Ranch Road, San Andreas
Twain Harte FFS, 22978 Meadow Drive, Twain Harte
Station 51, 1950 Hillsdale Drive, Mono Village
Station 76, 18249 4th Ave., Jamestown
Blanchard FFS, 2990 Highway 132, La Grange.

Permit terms limit burn pile size to a maximum of 4 feet by 4 feet in diameter with 10 feet around the outer edge of the debris pile free and clear of all flammable material and vegetation.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Monday, November 1, 2010