OPEN BURNS IN THE MANOR ... December 2023
A recent incident has raised concerns about open burns within Monument Manor. In order to clarify rules and procedures, we have spoken with a San Bernardino County Fire official. We discussed:
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The precipitating incident
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Burn permits
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What to do if you have fire-related concerns
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What County Fire would like us (the neighbors, collectively) to do for it
The incident
A neighbor “A” in the east portion of Monument Manor had an open fire in his yard over the weekend of December 2 and 3. Another neighbor “B” was distressed about the smoke and flames, and was concerned about that trash might be being burned, and contacted a County fire official he knew. A fire truck was dispatched late Sunday afternoon. “A” had a permit, was observed to be burning only yard waste, and was monitoring the fire, and had a hose at the ready. The fire crew informed him that he was NOT complying with the allowed hours, which are 6 am – noon in our area, and that “A” had applied the rules from a different Air Quality Management District.
Burn permits
A ban on open burns was recently lifted, and permits are available online. Permits are limited to yard waste, with branches at most 1 inch in diameter. Household trash and construction debris MUST NOT be burned. Burn piles must be small, and must be monitored. After a permit is granted, the holder of the permit must call a local authority (listed on the permit) on the day of the burn to determine if wind and air quality conditions are conducive to burning that day.
What to do if you have fire-related concerns
If it’s an emergency, call 911. If it is a non-emergency situation (including smoke from some yard) call this non-emergency dispatch number: 1-909-356-3805. If you can, give the specific address for the fire or smoke or bad smell or out-of-hours burn. The dispatcher will check against the list of known burn permits before dispatching anyone, and will log the call in any case. DO NOT call the local fire station!
What County Fire would like us to do for it
The battalion chief to whom we spoke requested that we collect questions about fire protection and fire concerns of any sort (including burns of any sort, recreational or cleanup) and forward them to the County. This is your chance to express your concerns, and get some feedback! Email your questions and comments to info.monumentmanorna@gmail.com.