VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: The Importance of Fire Prevention Amid New York’s Drought
BROOKE VACCARO, REPORTER: That’s right Gino, with the drought, New York is now under a burn ban, making fire prevention just as important as ever. Every year, local fire departments embrace national fire prevention week. But with the current drought, central New York is facing an increased fire threat. The record-high temperatures last week and persistent dry conditions have made outdoor fires an issue.
JASON GREEN, DEWITT CHIEF OF FIRE: Enviornmentally, we’ve seen a lot more mulch fires, outdoor fires, refuse fires. It’s fall clean-up time so leaf piles will be abundant. Without the moisture necessary, they’re obviously more flammable and it’s more of a risk and the drought certainly contributes to that.
VACCARO: Central New York has faced several outdoor fires in the past two weeks in the towns of Hartwick, Tuxedo, Newcomb and last night in Tully. Because of this, New York is under a state-wide burn ban until Oct. 15. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, Onondaga County itself is at moderate fire danger rating and is under a drought watch.
DR. RICHARD SHAKER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR : A watch is very, the first level of drought. There’s no real state-wide mandatory water use restrictions, but we are leading into, especially in northern New York and Western New York and parts of the southern tier we’re in that warning stage.
VACCARO: People should be extra careful when enjoying the fall weather and cooking outdoors.
GEORGE COWBURN, DEPUTY CHIEF OF SYRACUSE FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU: If you’re cooking outdoors with your cast grills or your charcoal grills, they should be away from combustibles, off and not done on your combustible deck or your outside balcony porch. Those are all no-nos everyday of the year, but if you’re moving those away from your building and doing it out in your yard, now you have to think about how dry conditions are right.
VACCARO: After Oct. 15, Governor Kathy Hochul and the Department of Environmental Conservation will re-access conditions. But fire prevention should be practiced all year-round.
For NCC News, I’m Brooke Vaccaro.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS)- This week is National Fire Prevention Week, a time where fire departments across the country remind and provide people with the tools they need to be safe when dealing with fire. This year’s theme is lithium-ion batteries, but much of New York is facing another fire threat. Drought conditions across the state have made land dry and vulnerable, leading to an increase in outdoor fires.
“The current drought conditions are unique, it’s been some time since we’ve had this kind of drought in New York, it’s pretty historic. If we look at some of the data, we can go back to about 1871 when we started collecting data in New York state, this is the second driest September we had on record, ” said Richard Shaker, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Sustainable Resource Management at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
According to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Onondaga County is under a drought watch and moderate fire danger. While these are the beginning stages, persistent dry conditions could lead into a drought warning like in other parts of the state.
“A watch is very, the first level of drought. There’s no real state-wide mandatory water use restrictions, but we are leading into, especially in northern New York and Western New York and parts of the southern tier we’re in that warning stage,” said Shaker.
Because of these conditions, Governor Kathy Hochul and the DEC have enforced a burn ban until Oct.15 as a proactive measure. Usually enforced during the spring months, the ban means no outdoor fires to dispose of brush, campfires or open fires for cooking.
Even with the ban, there have been several outdoor fires in Central and Upstate New York in the past two weeks, with the most recent being a brush fire in Tully on Oct. 18. Jason Green, DeWitt fire chief, said he sees the increase in fires because of the drought.
“Environmentally, we’ve seen a lot more mulch fires, outdoor fires, refuse fires. It’s fall clean-up time so leaf piles will be abundant. Without the moisture necessary, they’re obviously more flammable and it’s more of a risk and the drought certainly contributes to that,” said Green.
The DeWitt Fire Department encourages people to keep brush and leaf piles away from buildings. George Cowburn, deputy chief of the Syracuse Fire Prevention Bureau, also reminds people to take extra precautions when cooking outside, no matter the size of the flame.
“If you’re cooking outdoors with your cast grills or your charcoal grills, they should be away from combustibles, off and not done on your combustible deck or your outside balcony porch. Those are all no-no’s every day of the year, but if you’re moving those away from your building and doing it out in your yard, now you have to think about how dry conditions are,” said Cowburn.