Outdoor Burning by Permit Opened March 1

MISSOULA - March 1 marks the opening of outdoor burning by permit in western Montana. All burns require a permit, which may be obtained at the County Burn Permit System online at https://app.mt.gov/burnpermit/. 

Assistance with permit applications is available at the Seeley Lake Fire Department during the Smoke Detector Give Away Program March 4 and 5 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. All permits cost $5. 

Permits can also be renewed.  All of last year’s information is saved and ready to go.  A postcard has been mailed with last year’s permit number or call the City-County Health Department (406-258-4755).  Burn permit reminder postcards were mailed Feb. 17.

Before lighting a fire, the permit must be activated either online or by calling the automated activation phone line at 1-888-583-6497 after 9 a.m. on the day of the burn. When dispersion is poor, burn restrictions are required to protect public health.

In 2015, in Missoula County alone, more than 4,000 permits were sold, and those permit holders burned more than 10,000 times. 

Hundreds of federal, state and local government responders in the area are preparing for the upcoming fire season.  Missoula County Fire Protection Association (MCFPA.org) is an association representing these responders.  The MCFPA would like to remind everyone how to lower the risk to first responders and the public when debris piles are burned.

 In March and April of 2015, 20 burn piles got away from those who lit them in Missoula County.  Combined, these wildfires burned 50 acres.  It’s up to everyone burning to limit the number of wildfires.  Two overwhelmingly common factors are related to human-caused wildfires:

1.       Pile is not lined and the fire creeps into dry grass.

2.       People burn on high wind days and sparks spread to dry grass.

Make sure everything burned is cold to the touch before leaving it unattended at any time of day or night by drowning it with water and stirring it to expose residual heat. Afterwards, run the back of your hard over the blackened coals to make sure it is cold. 

Most people who lose burns have left the pile only for a short time and return to a fire running through dry grass.  Always have a charged hose or bucket of water, leather gloves, and hand tools available on-site when burning.

 

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