We are one good, warm and sunny day away from the rigorous deep-dive into Spring Cleaning mode, which often jumpstarts the desire to clear out all the disposable junk built up over the winter. A lot of that just might be burnables, like cardboard, downed tree limbs and old paper bills – but now is no time to be starting fires! 

With the annual New York State Open Burn Ban in full swing until May 14, now is the time to be conscientious of the dangers of reckless burning. Brush fires are prone to sweep fast, igniting grasses and other low-growing vegetation. This sparks challenges for not only the plants, but the critters emerging for spring, as the environment has been disrupted by the flames. 

Not only are wildfires bad for the environment, they are bad for our volunteer firefighters who never fail to rise to meet the emergent needs of their communities. Open burning at this time unnecessarily jeopardizes their time, finances and, of course, their safety. It is more than worth it to wait a few more weeks to dispose of burnables to ensure our local heroes’ resources are prioritized.

Of course, some things are out of our control despite our best efforts. There have already been a few brush fires since the initiation of the ban, and we thank our firefighters for stepping up to help without the community ever having to question if you would or not. You just do.