About 400 burn permits have been issued in Lyon County. Burn permits are required for anybody wanting to start an open fire in the county.
Rick Frevert of Lyon County Emergency Management said if anyone is going to be doing an open burn they need to have a permit.
“You don’t need one to burn household trash in a trash barrel,” he said.
The burn permits are free and can be obtained from a number of locations in the county. Applicants must be 18 and the permit is for the person doing the burning, not the property.
“You may be helping your neighbor,” Frevert said. “If you are going to go burn your neighbor’s pasture or fence row for them you need to have a permit if they are not going to be there.”
Frevert said all cities except Hartford and Admire have local regulations on burning in the city limits.
“You need to contact the city government for those regulations,” Frevert said. “The city of Hartford and Admire you will need a county burn permit to do an open burn in those towns.
Before striking the match to burn, residents need to call the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office at 342-5545 and give the time of the burn, permit number and the address of the burn site.
“The reason for that is when we have reports of fire columns or black smoke, we check it and if there’s no report of (controlled) burns, they have to dispatch law and fire to it,” Frevert said.
Residents will not be told when to burn and when not to burn in the county.
“The decision to burn is solely on the person who is going to be in charge of it,” Frevert said. “They are solely responsible for that fire. That is the purpose of the burn permit.”
However, when the fire risk index is high, it is recommended that residents do not burn.
Permits can be obtained at Allen at the garage in Allen, Reading City Clerk’s Office, Hartford clerk’s office; Neosho Rapids Senior Center; Admire city office, Olpe City Clerks’ Office, Emporia County Clerks’ Office or the Sheriff’s Office dispatch window.
They are yearly permits, running from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.
F To check the fire index go to: www.kansasforests.org/fire/rangeland.shtml