Burn ban in place in Milam County

As most people in Milam County know, there has been a Burn Ban in place since July 14. When we put a burn ban in place, we don’t do it lightly. The first thing we do is consult with the nine Milam County Fire Chiefs and the head of the Fire Chief’s Association. By the 14th, the overwhelming majority asked that we institute the burn ban.

But this has brought up the issues of the specifics of a burn ban and the exemptions to a burn ban. So, we felt it important to better discuss the exemptions to the burn ban and what that means for us going forward. Remember, these are not some set of arbitrary exemptions that the Commissioners’ Court has made up, but they are the approved exemptions that the state allows under Local Government Code 352.081.

1. Firefighting Training – This one is a necessity at times; however, here in Milam County, most of the Fire Departments are busy enough fighting the real thing that I doubt we will see many staged fires for training.

2. Public Utilities, Natural Gas Pipelines, or Mining Operations – The possibility that this might happen is there; however, most of these utilities are cognizant of the climate and the risk involved with holding a controlled burn at this time and will generally avoid it due to the liability issues.

3. The Planting and Harvesting of Agricultural Crops – While there is the opportunity for this seeing as how Milam County is primarily an agricultural county with an Ag economy, most of our farmers are hesitant to do this as the risk could definitely be more than the reward in doing so. With that said, there are still some cases where this is a necessity rather than a convenience, so there is a possibility that this can happen.

4. Prescribed Burns – These are burns that are conducted by a prescribed burn manager certified under the Natural Resources Code 153.048 and meet the standards of the Natural Resources Code 153.047. These are mainly industrial burns that are managed under a specific set of standards and with specifically qualified personnel and machinery on hand to monitor and manage a controlled burn. Many companies require these standards to conduct industrial burns, but not all of them. So, we will be checking those burns for the proper organization and credentials.

In closing, it is important to remember that this is an extremely dangerous time of the year and while many of us would like to take care of our burn piles, it’s much better to wait until after we get some rain before we start those burns. If you do meet one of the four exemptions to the current Burn Ban, please check with local authorities prior to conducting your burn and make sure that the local emergency dispatchers and the local fire departments know just in case things get out of control.

Remember, even a legal ban can get out of control and the life that emergency services save could be your own.