• By James Griffin
• Posted Friday, October 10, 2014

Hazards for the Fall Season

The fall season produces many wonderful events. Cooler temperatures, amazing colors, wonderful smells, fun festivals, and quality family time are all associated with autumn. The fall season also brings with it certain hazards that the fire marshal’s office wants you to be aware of.

• If you live within the city limits, you are not permitted to burn leaves, twigs, brush, or any debris. Composting the leaves produces a greener solution and is environmentally and economically the best and safest practice.
• Pile leaves, brush, and twigs on your property at the road or street edge. Placing vegetation in the roadway produces hazards to operators of motor vehicles such as sight issues, obstacles, and reduced traction.
• Piles of leaves are made for jumping into, throwing around, and just having fun! Make sure that adults supervise all activities with children playing in piles of leaves.
• If you live outside a municipality, you are permitted to burn only natural vegetation from your own property. Natural vegetation includes leaves, twigs, brush and grasses. Burning can only begin at 8:00 AM and must be completely extinguished by 6:00 PM with no addition of vegetation on the fire after 4:00 PM. Always have a competent adult watching the fire with an adequate extinguishing source (water, sand, etc.) available. Read more about burning waste in Forsyth County at the following website.
• Get a flu vaccination.
• Check your smoke alarm monthly. Change your batteries when you change your clock to standard time. Don’t have sufficient smoke alarms, need help changing the batteries or have questions, call the fire marshal’s office at 336-703-2550.
• Practice you home escape plan.

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