BRENHAM FIRE DEPT. RESPONDS MONDAY TO CONTROLLED BURN, ACCIDENT
The Brenham Fire Department responded to two calls on Monday.
Shortly after 11 a.m., units were dispatched to the 2800 block of Mustang Road for a report of a pasture on fire. They arrived on location to find three controlled burns causing the smoke. The department spoke to an employee who was watching the fires. All units then cleared the scene.
Around 10:45 p.m., BFD members were called out to a transportation incident in the 400 block of Highway 290 West. There, they found a single-vehicle accident. The department checked for injuries, but no one was hurt, so firefighters returned to service after the vehicle was removed from the roadway.
What’s your Reaction?
+1
9
+1
+1
Why do the fire depts respond to controlled burns that are called in ahead of time and reported as a controlled burn .W,hen you call to report a controlled burn they ask for callers name, location of burn, and phone number, wouldn’t it be quicker and. safer to call the person at the controlled burn to see if all is well or out of control instead taking the word of some passer by that only saw the fire for a few seconds. I haven’t seen or met a person in probably the last 5 years that doesn’t carry a cell phone . Could save time and equipment wear and tear and possibly a life.
I agree with you, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the person responsible for the controlled burn never notified Dispatch in the first place, or Dispatch would’ve had the information to contact the person responsible for the burn.
Not all ‘controlled burns’ are reported in advance to Dispatch or at all. Yes, it is costly for any Fire Department to respond to a call only to find that it is ‘controlled’ and being watched but what if the ‘controlled’ burn is no longer controlled. Just because it is a planned burn does not mean that the fire stays ‘controlled’. The person they are trying to call could be actively trying to fight it. They would not have time to answer the phone and the FD would be even more delayed in responding to effectively put out the fire and prevent major losses.