Vigilance urged despite drop in wildfires

CLARE County Council has warned of the dangers and legal implications surrounding both backyard burning and uncontrolled burning of bog and gorse fires in the county.
The timely reminder to the public coincides with the promotion of their annual public information campaign and the release of new figures, which show a sharp decrease in the number of forest, bog and gorse fires attended by the Clare Fire and Rescue Service over the past two years.
The Clare County Fire and Rescue Service attended 31 forest, bog and gorse fires last year, which represented a 90% decrease when compared to the high of 262 call-outs in 2010. 
The number of call-outs to forest, bog and gorse fires recorded in 2012 is also a significant decrease on the 76 call-outs that took place the previous year.
Mayor of Clare, Councillor Pat Daly has emphasised the need for householders and landowners to be vigilant and conscious of their obligations under current environmental legislation.
“The burning of waste, or backyard burning, threatens life, property and our environment. It is often mistakenly seen as a cheap method of managing waste and it is presumed not to be harmful to the environment but nothing could be further from the truth.
“The purpose of all the environmental legislation is to protect and prevent damage to our environment. We are all very proud of the Banner County and we have a responsibility to protect our wonderful environment. I am urging you to say no to backyard burning and ensure any legal burning is done in a controlled manner, as it is vital we don’t have a repeat of the record numbers of fires attended by the fire service in 2010,” added Mayor Daly.
Landowners should notify the fire service at least one day in advance of any intended burning and the local gardaí and woodland owner must also be notified in writing seven days in advance, when the location of the controlled burning is within one mile of a woodland location.
Michael Coghlan, IFA forestry representative in Clare, reiterated the importance of this.
“There is danger when any fires are lit and you have to officially give notice to the gardaí and the fire brigade and the landowner if you intend burning vegetation within a mile of forestry. It is a legal offence if you don’t do this.
“There were thousands of acres of forestry burned in the north-west last year so we are warning farmers to be careful and vigilant and report any small fires in their areas to the gardaí. People who own forestry should also look into forestry insurance. It is very important,” Mr Coghlan stated.
Chief fire officer with Clare Fire and Rescue Services Adrian Kelly noted that uncontrolled burning can result in loss of life, as well as damage to property.
“In recent years, there has been a steady reduction in the number of call-outs to forest, bog and gorse fires. While this has been influenced heavily by the inclement weather during the summers of 2011 and 2012, there is evidence that the controlled burning policy has brought about a reduction in false alarms to these incidents.
“It is important that people familiarise themselves with the guidance on the council website, to ensure the necessary precautions are taken so that any legal burning is done in a controlled manner.
“Landowners can act responsibly by advising the Munster Fire Communications Centre, by calling 999 or 112, of their intentions to carry out controlled burning. This allows the fire control operators to check with the landowner directly to see if their fire has got out of control prior to mobilising the nearest fire brigade needlessly and causing unnecessary expense, both for the landowner and the local authority,” Mr Kelly emphasised.
Robert Burns, executive engineer in the Waste Enforcement Section of Clare County Council added, “A significant amount of work has been done to reduce the incidences of illegal burning and the message is definitely getting through.
“Clare County Council has taken enforcement action against offenders for illegal burning and this should act as a clear warning for anyone who still mistakenly thinks it is acceptable to burn waste illegally.”