Brush/Junk Pile Burn

Have had this growing brush junk pile going for about 5 years now. It's big. Been wanting to burn but haven't gotten around to getting a permit yet for this year. It's free, just haven't done it. Just all the grass mowed all around it and my youngest asked me if we might ought to burn it's beings it's green and no wind and we have had some rain.

I was a little apprehensive about it because of the permit but thought about it and told him to call it in anyway. Well they changed the system and it is automated now. No headway there so I called a county cop friend and he said do it anyway only wait till dark if you don't remember what's in there. Black smoke. He said he did it just last weekend. He doesn't have a permit either. OK then.

About that time a neighbor on the corner of the section lit something up an was throwing black smoke 200' in the air. 3/4 mile away. I waited till almost dark and lit mine.
Got going pretty good, few smaller explosions, all was fine. Had the skid steer on hand for grass fires and sure as chit here comes the fire police.
He got a little pissy about the permit and I told him I tried to call it in and he even said it was a PITA now. Turns out he wasn't even looking for me, it was the other guy.
I got a warning and a stern talking to.

Been doing the same chit for 25 years and only called it in maybe 3 times.
Got to be the infiltration of city people. No one even knows there is a house back in here but the neighbors and google.
Got out of that one.

Yeah, when the Fire Captain speaks, a person seems to listen!
I got my ONE warning about 15 years ago.

Our local fire marshal is a good guy.  I always call him and discuss my burn plans before I call the county dispatch for a permit.

In the county here, there are no permits. Only in the city are you required to get a permit.

Reminds me of when I worked at the local Agco/ Kubota dealer while I was in High School. Some small tractors and implements came in wooden crates. Our standard procedure was to haul the crates out back and burn them. The owner never would get a permit and we were usually ok, as long as you kept the fire small, where you couldn’t see it from the road.

This particular day, we had the fire going, and here comes the owner with a full 55 gal drum of used oil in the bucket of a loader. He dumped that drum right on top of the already hot fire.

We all stepped back and watched. As the drum got hotter, it started poping and making all sorts of noises, and the pressure on the drum increased. Finally the thin metal of the drum had had enough, it split right in the seam where the top and the sides are connected. The hot oil shot straight up into the air, being ignited my the fire as it escaped. This was right after the time of the first Gulf War. You remember that when Sadam got run out of Kuwait and lit all those oil wells on fire? This was exactly what that reminded me of. People were stopping on the Hwy and coming out of neighboring businesses to see what was going on. It was so hot we had to back way away from the fire. It wasn’t long until we heard the sirens. In the end, we had just about every emergency agency in the county there, and they were mad. Turns out the owner of the dealership just got a stern talking to, he was friends with all the local officials.

You should have had the entire family out there roasting hot dogs when the Fire Police rolled up

Don't mess around with the "Fruits and Nuts" clean air out here. The Air Resources Broad(ARB) has the Snowflakes thinking they could live forever if they can breath clean air. Fire department doesn't charger for a permit but ARB whats $50 or more. Last I knew $1000 if you burned on a day that did not suit the ARB.

not even gonna mention my secrets!

I am glad that you all have found solutions to getting rid of brush, but you have reminded me of how lucky we are in L.A.  I get rid of some pretty good size piles every summer and all I am asked to do is notify the local 911 operator so that they don't send out the FD on a false alarm. 

Oh, they DO ask me to call for help if I need it.  Good system.

allis g wrote: That's correct Ray APCD is a pain in the behind.  Heck last year I was burning with a permit and some idiot called it in. Calfire showed up and laughed.

I helped a friend burn a brush pile yesterday. The day before I gave him the number for the county dispatcher.