Bigfork Fire had 43 calls in February

Spring is less than a month away. Spring open burning began on Friday, March 1.

A permit is not needed during the months of March and April. A burning permit is required May 1 through June 30. It is illegal to burn at all from July 1 through Sept. 30 during forest fire season.

Please call the air quality hotline at 751-8144 each day that you burn during the burning season. The report will be updated by 8:40 a.m. on weekdays and weekend updates will be available by 5 p.m. on Fridays.

Remember that burning manmade materials is prohibited at any time. Burning permits are not required for campfires. These fires must not exceed three feet in diameter and must consist of materials that do not exceed three inches in diameter.

Please make sure that you have an adequate water supply and tools available when you burn. It is recommended not to burn on windy days.

I would like to make the community aware that we have two AED machines located in downtown Bigfork for any possible cardiac arrests. They are located at the Bigfork Inn and the Bigfork Station.

For the month of February, Bigfork Fire Department responded to 43 incidents:

• One land medical helicopter

• Two emergency medical service incidents

• 34 EMS calls, excluding vehicle accident with injury

• One vehicle accident with injuries

• Three incidents where dispatch was canceled en route

• One false alarm or false call

• One detector activation, no fire — unintentional

Be safe!!

Bigfork Fire Chief

Wayne Loeffler