A GUIDE TO THE REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO OUTDOOR BURNING IN DINGMAN TOWNSHIP

ALL outdoor fires, except for those maintained in a gas or charcoal cooking or heating appliance, shall conform to the following requirements.

General Provisions

§         No fire shall be set or contained within twenty-five (25) feet of any building or combustible material storage container.

§         No fire shall be set or maintained that may endanger any building or property.

§         No fire shall be set, maintained, or allowed to smolder between the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am except as provided for in this ordinance.

§         No fire shall be set, maintained, or allowed to smolder during such times that a Burning Ban has been placed into effect by the Supervisors of Dingman Township, the County of Pike, or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

§         The burning of recyclable materials eligible for collection through the Pike County Recycling Program is prohibited.

§         Outdoor burning must be supervised by a responsible adult who shall remain within a reasonable distance of the fire.

§         An adequate supply of water, fire extinguishers, or other acceptable fire suppression materials, sufficient to extinguish the fire, must be kept in close proximity to the fire.  In addition, adequate equipment and/or personnel must be readily available on-site to extinguish the fire when necessary.

Campfires

A campfire is defined as an open outdoor fire contained in a fire ring of rocks or other similar barrier with a diameter of four feet or less.

§         Campfires may be ignited and maintained only by an adult resident of the property on which the campfire is situated or in appropriately designated areas of government owned lands or public or private campgrounds.

§         The area around a campfire shall be raked of leaves, twigs, and other ignitable material for a distance of ten feet.

§         An adequate supply of water or fire extinguishers sufficient to extinguish the campfire must be kept in close proximity to the campfire.

§         No campfires may be ignited, maintained, or allowed to smolder during a declared burning ban.

§         Campfires must be extinguished prior to the person maintaining it going to sleep or leaving the area.

Contained Fires

A contained fire is defined as any fire set or maintained in an outdoor fireplace, incinerator or other fireproof container.

§         Contained fires shall be used only to burn readily combustible material not otherwise prohibited by any other applicable State or local regulations.

Uncontained Fires

An uncontained fire is defined as any fire not meeting the definition of a “contained fire” or a “campfire”.

§         Prior to setting an uncontained fire, the Pike County Communications Center shall be notified of the location, planned duration, and name of contact person responsible for the uncontained burn. The Communications Center telephone number is 296 - 7700.

§         No uncontained fire shall be maintained unless constantly attended to by at least one responsible adult.  In addition, no uncontained fire shall be permitted to burn in a manner which allows hot ashes or embers to leave the boundaries of the property upon which the fire has been set.

§         Any uncontained fire permitted to burn 1) in an unsafe manner or under adverse weather conditions, 2) unsupervised, or 3) is determined to be unsafe by fire department or Township personnel who have been duly authorized by the Board of Supervisors to make such determinations, shall be extinguished immediately upon demand by such official.

Exceptions

§         In the event there is compelling reason(s) to have an uncontained fire, campfire, etc. at such time or in such a manner as to violate the provisions of Article IV of this Ordinance, such fire may be permitted by special permission of the Board of Supervisors only upon recommendation of the Fire Chief with jurisdiction over the property and proof of adequate insurance.