Warner Robins Fire Department shares tips for the Summer Burn Ban

Ned Dixon, Deputy Chief of Fire Operations for Warner Robins Fire Department, recommends instead of burning limbs and debris, you can do other things like hauling it to the landfill, chipping, or mulching.

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – During the summer months, the ozone in the air we breathe can reach unhealthy levels, that’s according to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). A major source of these pollutants is the burning of fuels and other combustible materials.

That’s why a Summer Burn Ban is going into effect Thursday.

According to the EPD, 54 counties across the state will be affected, many here in Middle Georgia and will prohibit citizens and businesses from burning yard and land-clearing debris. This is in addition to the year-round state-wide ban on burning household garbage.

We spoke with Ned Dixon, Deputy Chief of Fire Operations for Warner Robins Fire Department in Houston County, who says the yearly ban originally started in 2005. He says the ban is in effect for everything with the exception of grills and small campfires and he recommends instead of burning limbs and debris, you can do other things like hauling it to the landfill, chipping, or mulching.

“By having the burn ban, it helps to eliminate some of the air pollution I say during those warmer months, which actually helps people that have respiratory illnesses or difficulty breathing or cardiovascular issues,” said Chief Dixon. “It helps them tremendously, but it also improves air quality during those months when the humidity is a lot thicker and like I said just the air quality is lower.”

“It also helps to prevent some of the fires that happened during the summer months simply because the higher temperatures, it dries out the grasses, the woods, and weeds, things of that nature a lot quicker. So wild fires tend to spread a little bit faster, once the materials are a lot drier, so we don’t have quite as much rain during the summer months as we do during the winter months, so another issue,” said Chief Dixon.

The Summer Burn Ban will be in effect from May 1st through September 30th, for a full list of rules and a map of counties affected you can check the EPD’s website.