Controlled Burn

[dun]

About the only thing you will burn will be the grass or real small twigs. Then you have black trees and brush for the bulldozer to push instead of green. Just hire a big bulldozer with a good operator and get it done fast and right.

That would be my vote. Have it pushed into a bunch of big piles and torch the piles then go through the ash with a large magnet to get the wire/staples/nails, etc

 

[jedstivers]

About the only thing you will burn will be the grass or real small twigs. Then you have black trees and brush for the bulldozer to push instead of green. Just hire a big bulldozer with a good operator and get it done fast and right.

Do yourself a favor and do it this way.

 

[Jogeephus]

I don't giggle when I get called to idiots that set woods on fire. They don't giggle when I hand them a bill

You gotta be kidding me. When did Florida start charging to put wildfires out?

 

[HDRider]

About the only thing you will burn will be the grass or real small twigs. Then you have black trees and brush for the bulldozer to push instead of green. Just hire a big bulldozer with a good operator and get it done fast and right.

Do yourself a favor and do it this way.

OK - Thanks all.

 

[M-5]

I don't giggle when I get called to idiots that set woods on fire. They don't giggle when I hand them a bill

You gotta be kidding me. When did Florida start charging to put wildfires out?

Jo, Ive been doing this for over 20 years and 99% of the time when the fire it out of control it started in someone's yard. Our dept is gets a small allotment from the county each year and we have to fund the rest with "donations".

 

[Jogeephus]

That's strange. Never heard of such. Don't know what's worse your fining people to help put fires out or finding it funny when you bill them. Glad we don't do it that way here.

 

[M-5]

That's strange. Never heard of such. Don't know what's worse your fining people to help put fires out or finding it funny when you bill them. Glad we don't do it that way here.

You think the truck runs on water???

well obviously your dept is well funded. and im sure that that the 2015 e-ones yall have are the envy of all the parades.

 

[fenceman]

When my grandfather fell and the local fire department helped us I took them a check for 200 the next day. When a fire truck with to kids showed up acting like John Wayne and demanding access to my property. I doing a legal controlled burn that I had called in.
I chained the gate and told them to get a warrant.
I would say very few wildfires are caused by responsible controlled burning. Cigarettes , bbq, fourwheelers, fireworks , etc.
I 'll go on to say controlled burning prevents more fire than it creates.
Billing someone except in very blatant cases of negligence is very bad policy..It will alienate your community and make people less likely to call when things get out of hand.
Have a bake sale, or a auction like every other volunteer dept. Take care of them and I assure you they will take care of you.
I bet most of the bills get thrown in the fire anyway

 

[highgrit]

In our part of Georgia if you don't have a burn permit number you get charged by the GFC for putting the fire out. I set a backing fire and went and set the heading fire. When I went and checked on the backing fire the local FD was putting it out.

 

[M-5]

its obvious none of you know how emergency services works.
If a fire dept gets called to you home that's on fire they get your homeowner policy number and the insurance company is billed. If you have no insurance there is no one to collect from and its written off. if a dept is dispatched to a control burn out of control and endangering other property then the property owner THAT DID NOT ADHERE to control burn procedures can and most likely will be sent bill. IF a fire dept is dispatched to your property they are obligated to extinguish the fire. Fire depts. do not need permission they are exempt from the 4th amendment. Common sense should prevail and 99% of the time it does but as with anything you have yahoos that think they are big and bad. It works both ways also.

 

[M-5]

That's strange. Never heard of such. Don't know what's worse your fining people to help put fires out or finding it funny when you bill them. Glad we don't do it that way here.

Jo, There is a road in our community that anytime a fire call comes in we all know the address. I have been to 8 fires at this place in 20+ years. every single time its because of burning trash. even when the house burned down years ago it was because of burning trash. you can fix stupid but you can bill stupid and if stupid doesn't pay the bill the stupid fire truck might not crank the next time some one does something stupid.

 

[J&D Cattle]

We have rural volunteer fire departments around here. If you are in their coverage area you pay an annual membership fee otherwise when you have a fire you are sent a bill. They often bill insurance companies anyway. No income = no fire department around here.

 

[dun]

We have rural volunteer fire departments around here. If you are in their coverage area you pay an annual membership fee otherwise when you have a fire you are sent a bill. They often bill insurance companies anyway. No income = no fire department around here.

Same deal here. But a couple of years ago we voted in paying a tax for fireprotection rather then the annual membership. We have a lot of absenty owners around here that neveer paid. It has worked out pretty well,, they were able to upgrade the class of fireprotection so fire insurance went down. Ours went down more then the tax bill went up.

 

[bball]

I vote bulldozer, if you are replacing wire anyway.

BF, you hit on my second choice. I am thinking of just pushing everything back except big trees. I might rent one and learn how to drive it, or hire a driver too if I have to.

I am thinking burning might be a lot cheaper. I would have to clear almost five miles of fence row.

I planned to work with the local volunteer FDs and see if they want to have some practice burns... Let them pick the day, and the conditions.

If the local VFD won't do it for ya, I'm sure you can have the basics down on the dozer in about 10-15 minutes of fooling with it. Not real complicated if you have been around equipment at all.....and it's not like you need it graded to within a 1/4" or anything, the fine grading is where the real skills as an operator are required.

 

[Jogeephus]

In our part of Georgia if you don't have a burn permit number you get charged by the GFC for putting the fire out. I set a backing fire and went and set the heading fire. When I went and checked on the backing fire the local FD was putting it out.

Works the same here. Our VFD responders are paid out of the county budget each time they respond to a call. Most of the equipment they have is provided for by the GFC through a deal they have the USFS and the federal government's surplus program. The GFC also has a shop where they make fire equipment to give to the volunteer outfits. Basically its free and all you have to do is ask for it. When we get a new piece of equipment that needs modifying we'll do fund raisers and we'll also get help from donations from the community.

Jo, There is a road in our community that anytime a fire call comes in we all know the address. I have been to 8 fires at this place in 20+ years. every single time its because of burning trash. even when the house burned down years ago it was because of burning trash. you can fix stupid but you can bill stupid and if stupid doesn't pay the bill the stupid fire truck might not crank the next time some one does something stupid.

Dash, if its an illegal non-permitted burn we lay a hefty fine on them but to fine someone for putting their house fire out or a fire that is out of their control is just wrong but I remember when I passed through Florida carrying supplies to Katrina victims the Florida DOT was out in force giving people grief so it doesn't surprise me that Florida would fine someone for a fire. I'm just glad it doesn't work that way here.

 

[fenceman]

If it's just over grown with brush and not large tree's you can clean it up fine with fire. Spray it heavy with round up. Wait for a time when everything is green and lush. You can burn it cheaply and safely.

 

[bird dog]

Dash 5 do you have any recourse if the bill isn't paid? I wouldn't think you could send it in to the credit people could you or put a lien on something?
Thanks

 

[Jogeephus]

In Georgia if the fire is from negligence and you are fined its treated just like a speeding ticket or whatever and the legal system handles it.

 

[M-5]

Dash 5 do you have any recourse if the bill isn't paid? I wouldn't think you could send it in to the credit people could you or put a lien on something?
Thanks

yes the law allows for recourse. I started a new thread that shows the statutes. People assume its the boogy man presenting a bill but in all my years only a couple have refused to pay and those are the ones you know had the money. most are glad to pay a 50 or 100 bill for a simple fire call. On wild fires the First dept on scene is the one that can collect. forestry has to come out and issue a citation acknowledging they broke the law. Some we request a simple donation and majority will contribute. The ones that didn't pay are advised that we will get to their next fire as soon as possible if you know what I mean.

 

[kenny thomas]

When my grandfather fell and the local fire department helped us I took them a check for 200 the next day. When a fire truck with to kids showed up acting like John Wayne and demanding access to my property. I doing a legal controlled burn that I had called in.
I chained the gate and told them to get a warrant.
I would say very few wildfires are caused by responsible controlled burning. Cigarettes , bbq, fourwheelers, fireworks , etc.I 'll go on to say controlled burning prevents more fire than it creates.
Billing someone except in very blatant cases of negligence is very bad policy..It will alienate your community and make people less likely to call when things get out of hand.
Have a bake sale, or a auction like every other volunteer dept. Take care of them and I assure you they will take care of you.
I bet most of the bills get thrown in the fire anyway

fenceman, I know the conditions there are dfferent than here but here 99% of the fires are human caused and about 2/3 of them are from carelessness. About 1/3 are arson. A fire here from a cigarette is very, very rare. Lightning fires are also rare here. The conditions have to be just right and that does not happen very often. Again our conditions are different.The fire deartments can bill if they want but for brush fires the State Forestry Department will bill for every escaped fire where a responsible party is identified. I dont want my tax dollars pay for some idiot that lets a fire get away every year.