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Emergency Management

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Countywide Burn Ban for Susquehanna County

(March 2023, Montrose, PA) The Susquehanna County Board of Commissioners, in cooperation with the County Fire Chiefs and Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District 11, has issued a resolution enacting a temporary ban on open burning in Susquehanna County from 12:01am Saturday, March 18, 2023 until 11:59pm Sunday, April 16, 2023.

Open burning is defined as the ignition and subsequent burning of any combustible material such as garbage, leaves, grass, twigs, litter, paper, vegetative matter involved with land clearing, or any sort of debris out-of-doors either in a burn barrel or on the ground. The use of propane or gas stoves, charcoal briquette grills, or the use of tobacco in any form is not covered under county burn bans. Camp fires are allowed in fire rings that confine and contain the camp fire, and where all flammable materials have been removed for a radius of five (5) feet.

Under the resolution, a violation of the ban on open burning is a summary offense; punishable by fines up to $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense, and $300 for the third offense. The resolution is enforceable by local and State Police officers.

The ban is necessary due to a long-range weather forecast that calls for above normal temperatures and equal chances of above, equal, or below normal precipitation. According to the Bureau of Forestry, the greatest danger of spring wildfires is in March, April and May due to warmer, windier days. The Bureau of Forestry also states that the majority of wildfires in Pennsylvania are caused by debris burning.

Should residents have any questions regarding the burn ban, they should contact the Fire Chief of their local fire department.

Code Red

CodeRED
Susquehanna County, through funding provided by the North East Pennsylvania Regional Counter Terrorism Task Force, has partnered with CodeRED for community notification and alerting. CodeRED is a high-speed web-based emergency notification service provided by Emergency Communications Network (ECN). The service will be deployed to issue general and emergency notifications, and registered residents can receive automated severe weather warnings. CodeRED is known for its reliable communications across multiple channels including text, e-mail, voice and social media.

By clicking above residents of and visitors to Susquehanna County can follow a simple registration process during which they may select their notification preferences, provide contact information, and pinpoint their location on a map. These steps will ensure residents receive the most accurate information for emergency and general notifications released by Susquehanna County officials.

Additionally, residents and visitors can stay informed of local alerts by downloading the CodeRED Mobile Alert app. This free app notifies registered smartphone users of real-time alerts in their geo-targeted area whether they are at home, or as they travel through other jurisdictions where CodeRED is utilized. The app can be downloaded at no charge from Google Play and the App Store.

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