A Burning Need for Wildfire Prevention

Last March, a brush fire in East Haddam consumed more than 50 acres in a remote area of the Devil's Hopyard State Park. More than 100 firefighters from 15 towns – including Haddam – responded. After several days of containment efforts, firefighters from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection let the fire burn itself out.

While an official cause was never determined, officials point to human activity like a tossed cigarette or campfire, according to DEEP spokesman Dwayne Gardner. That, combined with dead hemlock trees and dry, windy conditions, was all it took to wipe out a major section of one of Connecticut’s most treasured parks.

In an average year, the DEEP estimates that approximately 1,300 acres of Connecticut woodland are scorched by forest fires. Haddam’s Deputy Fire Marshal Bill Robbins said the state usually experiences high forest fire danger from mid-March through May.

“With all the precipitation we received this winter, it’s difficult for people to think of brush fires, especially with patches of snow still on the ground,” Robbins said. “But this is the start of our dry season.”

DEEP's Division of Forestry constantly monitors forest fire danger to help protect Connecticut's 1.8 million acres of forested land. Throughout the forest fire season, the DEEP sends daily advisories on forest fire danger levels to its state park forest field staff, municipalities, fire departments and the media.

Forest fire danger levels are classified at Low, Moderate, High, Very High or Extreme.

The DEEP and the Haddam Volunteer Fire Company limit open burning for public health and safety reasons. Open burning pollutes the air and can make breathing difficult for people with respiratory problems. Open burning can also create smoke and odor nuisances to nearby residents.

Open burning is defined as the burning of any matter, where smoke and other emissions are released directly into the ambient air without passing through an adequate stack or flue.

Any resident is permitted to burn clean brush (3 inches or less in diameter), but is legally required to follow the procedure below.

If you live in Haddam or Higganum, please follow steps one to seven. If you live in Haddam Neck, you can schedule an inspection and obtain a permit application by calling Joseph Zaientz at H: (860) 267-0388 or W: (860) 345-2282, then follow steps three to seven.

1. At least 10 days in advance, come to the Land Use Office at the Town Office Building at 30 Field Park Road in Haddam. Complete the Burning Permit Application including name, location and contact phone numbers.
2. An Open Burning Official will contact you to make an appointment to inspect the area and brush piles to be burned. Please note that burning is limited to brush only and to homeowners on their own property. Construction materials, garbage or stumps cannot be burned. Contractors cannot burn on construction sites.
3. Upon inspection, the official will approve, deny or recommend other conditions. The burning permit is good for a limited period of time, usually 7 to 15 days.
4. Prior to burning, refer to the DEEP website (http://www.ct.gov/deep) for the daily Forest Fire Danger. You may burn only days that the threat is Low or Moderate. You may not burn on days when the danger is High or Extreme.
5. While on the website, also check the Air Quality Index. You may burn on days where air quality is listed as Good or Moderate. You may not burn on days when the index reads Unhealthy or greater.
6. Once all permit conditions are met and you decide to burn, call Valley Shore Emergency Communications Center at (860) 399-7902. Tell the dispatcher that you have a burning permit and your location. You must call prior to and after burning.
7. The property owner assumes all responsibility for compliance with these requirements and any damage caused by smoke or fire.

The DEEP and HVFCo. encourage recycling and alternate methods for disposal of brush and other types of solid waste. Please recycle paper products whenever possible. Food scraps and yard debris like grass, leaves and branches can be composted or mulched. Recycle clean fill, concrete, rubble and asphalt,

If you spot a forest fire, remain calm and dial 911 to report it. Tell the dispatcher when and where you saw the fire. Stay on the line until the dispatcher tells you to hang up.

Complaints about open burning should be directed to the Air Complaints phone line at (860) 424-3436 or email deep.aircomplaints@ct.gov.

The DEEP's Forest Fire Control Office urges all who enjoy Connecticut's parks, forests and open spaces to use caution with open flames, especially during forest fire season. That means obeying your local laws, carefully disposing of hot charcoal and completely extinguishing smoking materials.

Smokey the Bear said it best – “Only you can prevent wildfires!”

Do You Have What It Takes? Find more information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved at our website www.HaddamFire.com, or find us on Facebook.