New Burn Ban Rules

Young County Commissioners adopted new expanded burn ban rules and discussed preparations and training for the upcoming fire season. The new burn restrictions were suggested by Precinct 3 Commissioner Stacey Rogers to allow commercial welding during a burn ban as long as certain rules are followed, County Judge Win Graham said. The Commissioners voted to adopt language taken from Wichita County that sets rules for spotters, the diameter of the welding area, and a minimum amount of water and fire retardant that welders are required to have on hand. The rules state that welders must notify the Sheriff ’s Office of the location of the project and contact numbers before commencing a project and that welding is prohibited when winds are higher than 20 miles per hour.

The Commissioners also discussed making a list of people eligible to operate the new bulldozer in the event of a fire for liability reasons. “We have some people with [commercial drivers licenses] in those departments that could come out and get that dozer,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Stacy Creswell said. “I’d like to see them get some classroom time on it. We had to make a list so if that dozer is out and somebody is operating it, the county is covered.”