Standard Operation Guideline: 201                       TFD

Subject: Response to Illegal Burning Complaints

 I. Purpose:

1. To establish a procedure consistent with the expressed desires of the City of Taylorville City Council
2. To establish a procedure consistent with City of Taylorville Ordinance No. 3213, Section 4-7-2
3. To establish a consistent approach of a response of Taylorville Fire Department apparatus and personnel to illegal burning complaints within the City of Taylorville
4. To recognize that the illegal burning of leaves does not always require the response, and a burden of the accompanying expense and risk to the Taylorville Fire Department and community.
5. To minimize the risk of slowing our response to a subsequent emergency response as a result of the non-emergency response to burning leaves.

 II. General:

            A recent amendment to the Penalty and Enforcement for Leaf Burning ordinance necessitates a review of past response practice of the Taylorville Fire Department.

            The Taylorville Fire Department is not recognized, by ordinance, as an enforcement department.

            A copy of the ordinance amending paragraphs F. and G. of Section 4-7-2 (Re: Penalty and Enforcement for Leaf Burning) has been attached to this SOG, and thus should be considered a part of SOG 201.

 III. TFD Response

A.                A listing of City Council approved leaf burning dates will be posted at each phone in the department. This list will be referenced by personnel whenever addressing questions of approved burn dates.

B.                 The Taylorville Fire Department will respond to illegal burns under the following circumstances.

1]            Request by the Taylorville Police Department

2]            Direct call to the fire department with caller expressing that the fire is out of control and or threatening adjacent property

                        a.   Obtain caller name, address, and contact number

                        b.   Obtain address of fire

c.   Ask questions to determine the need for a TFD VS TPD   response.

                                    - Is fire out of control?

                                    - What is burning?

                                    - Is fire threatening adjacent property

d.   If information does not warrant a fire department response, explain to the caller that the Taylorville Police Department is the enforcement department and provide them the TPD phone number, (824-2211).

e.      If the caller is unable to answer the questions confirming an out of control fire or threat to adjacent property, you will have to make a general alarm response, and notify TPD and 911 of your response.

3]            Dispatched through Christian County 911.

C.                 The Taylorville Police Department will be notified of any response or report received of an illegal burn, defined in the attached ordinance amendment.

D.                The purpose of a response from the Taylorville Fire Department will be to extinguish a fire that can not be extinguished through other means, or is threatening damage to exposed property.

E.                 It will be the Shift OIC discretion to run in the general or still response mode.

F.                  Apparatus and personnel responding will be at the discretion of the Shift OIC.

G.               A Taylorville Fire Department run report will be filed following any response.

Effective Date: January 10, 2005

Chief Lunt

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