ST. JOHN’S FIRE DISTRICT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               Contact: Captain James T. Ghi

July 30, 2012                                                                        St. Johns Fire and Recue Department

Ref: PR 12- 10                                                                      Fire Prevention Specialist/PIO

                                                                                                (843) 296-8392 (Cell)

                                                                                                (843) 559-9194 (Headquarters)

Temporary Outdoor Burning Ban for the St. Johns Fire District

During PGA Championship

JOHNS ISLAND – During the week of Aug. 5-13, 2012, the Town of Kiawah Island will host the 2012 PGA Championship golf tournament. The tournament will increase the population and vehicle traffic in the area exponentially, thus increasing emergency services needs throughout the St. John’s Fire District.  Extensive planning with the various agencies involved has been taking place to ensure the safety of the visitors and residents in the St. John’s Fire District.

“In an effort to preserve emergency resources for high priority emergency situations for areas outside of the PGA Championship event, we have enacted a temporary burn ban,” said Charleston County’s Building Inspections Services Director, Carl Simmons. The temporary burn ban will occur from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4, 12:01  through Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, 12 pm.  The outdoor burning ban does not included residential grilling. The ban has also been endorsed by the towns of Kiawah Island and Seabrook Island. 

As a reminder, when the burn ban has been rescinded, only natural vegetation that comes from a property can be burned on the property.  No material can be brought from one location to another to be burned.  It is against the law to burn any type of construction material, tires and trash.

Reviewing data obtained from the United States Fire Administration (USFA) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) almost 5% of the emergency responses in 2011 by the St. John’s Fire District are due to outdoor burning.  Some fires from legal outdoor burning have spread in part from unattended burning or a residence not having adequate resources as required. 

So far in 2012 there have been 51 responses of the same type in the St. Johns Fire District.  In several cases legal, outdoor burning has spread to areas outside of an intended burn area due to weather conditions (such as high winds), burning debris being left unattended, or the resident did not have adequate resources to contain and control the fire. 

A fire on March 3, 2011, spread from a legal residential burn due to high winds.  This fire spread over a 2-acre area, damaging property to surrounding residential areas.  A fire on Main Road, across from St. Johns High School, scorched 23 acres and required assistance from the South Carolina Forestry Commission.  These are just two examples of the 66 outside fires that occurred in the St. Johns Fire District in 2011.  These types of fires are difficult to control due to weather conditions, access and terrain; many require suppression resources for an excessive amount of time.