No Burn Day Fire Restrictions (from Chaffee County Ordinance Number 2006-02)

From the ordinance:

“During a ‘no burn’ day, it shall be unlawful for any person to build, maintain, attend or use an Open Fire, conduct sales of fireworks, or engage in outdoor smoking, even if such would otherwise constitute an exempt fire.”   …in other words, no fire of any kind, including charcoal grills and fireplaces at private residences, smoking outdoors, using chainsaws, welding, etc.

A “Red Flag Warning” posted by the National Weather Service for Chaffee County (Area 220) will automatically trigger a “no burn” day here.  This is by agreement with local, state, and federal fire managers.  The NWS website for fire weather is:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/?n=/fire/index.php

The ordinance applies “throughout the unincorporated* areas of Chaffee County, including public, private, state, and applicable federal lands. **”

*This ban applies to the unincorporated areas of the county.  However, the City of Salida does not allow open burning within the city unless it is a permitted agricultural burn or a campfire. Salida residents should be referred to the Salida Fire Department at 539-2212.  Salida Fire Chief Don Taylor assures us that in the event the County imposes a “no burn” day, the City of Salida will follow suit.

*Buena Vista authorities have agreed that they will comply with the fire restrictions declared by County authorities.  So essentially, any ban declared by the county sheriff is consistent throughout the county.

**A Federal public lands total fire ban is referred to as a Stage III ban.  Callers intending to use a BLM or Forest Service campground should check with those authorities on specific prohibitions.

Federal land fire managers may declare their own status, but generally all our jurisdictions try to be consistent throughout the county, and we confer before declaring any restrictions.

Definition of Open Fire:  Any outdoor fire or burn, including but not limited to, campfires, warming fires, charcoal fires, any type of charcoal-fueled broilers or bar-b-que grills, fires in wood-burning stoves, and the prescribed burning of trash and debris, and of agricultural lands (irrigation ditches, etc.).

…Under a “no burn” day, all of these are prohibited.