Dickson issues burn ban. Here is what's not permitted and why.
As hot, dry conditions persist, the City of Dickson has issued a ban on all outdoor burning effective immediately until the area receives significant rainfall.
Dickson Fire Department Fire Marshal Robby Street announced the burn ban Wednesday morning after an assessment of continuing drought conditions, high temperatures and low humidity determined the risk to life and property has reached a critical stage.
“With only brief showers during the last few weeks, conditions in the City of Dickson have deteriorated to the point that we don’t believe we can safely allow any outdoor burning,” Street said. “The fire department will not issue any burn permits or sanction any outdoor burning until we see a good, prolonged, soaking rain that will reduce the risk.”
The ban applies to any outdoor fires, including the burning of leaves, brush, debris, trash, campfires, bonfires and even screened barrels within the boundaries of the City of Dickson.
“Right now conditions are bad enough that the smallest ember can start a grass fire that could threaten structures and lives,” Street said. “We also urge residents to be extremely careful discarding cigarettes and other smoking materials.”
The Dickson Fire Department ban applies to burning inside the city limits.
As of Wednesday, other Middle Tennessee areas such as Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Portland, Spring Hill, Lewisburg, Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, Lavergne, Brentwood and Rutherford County have issued burn bans in recent days. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has issued general burn bans in Montgomery, Cheatham and Sumner counties.
The Tennessee Division of Forestry regulates burning outside of municipalities with full-time fire departments and information on current conditions and permit requirements can be found at burnsafetn.org.
The last burn ban issued by the Dickson Fire Department was Sept. 18 through Oct. 7, 2019, and was lifted after most of the city received over two inches of rain in a single day.
As of Wednesday, the National Weather Service forecast for Dickson includes an excessive heat warning with high temperatures in the 90s and a chance of mostly scattered, afternoon showers over the next 10 days.
The Dickson Fire Department ban will remain in effect until further notice.
The Dickson Municipal Code requires residents of the city to obtain a permit from the fire department prior to any outdoor burning. The permits are free but allow the department to monitor conditions and control when and where burning takes place.
Permit information can be obtained by calling the department at 615-446-6331.
The allowed use of fireworks under the Dickson Municipal Code ended July 5.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dickson issues burn ban. Here is what's not permitted.
