Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 3
3.
consider and take appropriate action on an order regarding outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of Travis County.
current ban expires September 21st, which is next Wednesday so we will have an opportunity to address this issue next Tuesday.
>> that's correct.
judge.
fire county marshall, we are at the point now with the drought index that it's not going up much more.
our county and the contiguous counties are some of the highest ones in the state in the 780-790 range.
81 percent of Texas is in exceptional route, with 95% of it being extreme.
the bad news is the seasonal outlook for fall is that it's going to get dryer.
conditions are expected to get worse.
3.7 million-acres have burned and Texas forest site was reporting 4,658 structures have been lost in this recent fire season, so our recommendation is to leave the burn ban in place and then based on conditions next week, we will bring a recommendation to you next week.
>> I did receive communication from some of our constables and county residents in habit of bumping cigarette butts out the car window as they drive down the street.
they plan to start issuing citations.
>> that's correct.
and dumping cigarette butts out the window is just a habit.
it's all it is.
it's just a habit.
vehicles have ashtrays.
but dumping that cigarette butt out the window with our present conditions is extremely dangerous.
for instance, today, we are expecting temperatures over 100 degrees this afternoon, relative humidity is going to drop loafer 20%.
winds are going to be out of the south.
the conditions where cigarettes generally start fires, light fuels, humidity is less than 25% and a light wind.
so we are -- today is one of the prime days that something is -- something as insignificant as a cigarette butt is likely to start a fire.
>> it is a deadly fire causing habit.
>> it is.
>> that could become very costly.
>> that's correct.
>> in more ways than one.
>> are the way they are, fire spreads very quickly.
and even our first responders are doing an excellent job but if they are at duty with one fire and another one starts 30-miles away, it is difficult to get to every one of them and the fires are spreading so quickly, they are just too big by time they get there to do anything much with them.
although they are doing an excellent job once they arrive.
we needless fires.
I have seen on the nbc this week where sheriffs deputies are continually writing citations for people continuing burn trash.
should not be burning anything outdoors.
>> it seems like we are preaching, we are.
and we are begging.
>> we are preaching and begging.
>> what should someone do if they see someone throwing a cigarette butt out the car?
>> I have heard of a number of different things where people are are trying to get people to draw attention to that habit.
they are blowing their horn, those things.
we don't want a road rage incident, but the best thing probably to do is just to speak to people before that happens, if you are in the car with someones who smoking.
keep the windows rolled up.
if you are going to smoke, smoke it inside the car and keep it in the car.
try to get people to do something before the action actually happens with something of the cigarette going out the window.
there are so many instance like that going on, the sheriffs deputies and constable also take care of the ones they see.
if they don't see it happen, they are not likely to write a citation for it.
it is one of the things they have to testify to they saw it happen.
>> does this also apply to the parks -- I bring up the parks situation because I remember at the waller creek park not too long ago, during keep Austin beautiful cleanup effort, there were actually little flags that depicted exactly where the butt of a cigarette had been discarded, and you should have seen the flags at that park.
it was just amazing to see that many -- of course they had to be picked up , but that many discarded cigarette butts in even in our parks is -- is a dangerous situation.
>> even throwing it down and stepping it out is dangerous.
I really, these conditions -- and I've read something in the materials recently that even though we think perhaps line web caused some of the fires that we have seen, that the vast majority of fires are started by human beings.
>> most fires -- most wild and fires are human caused.
>> how are we going to apply this to -- I am considering the parks -- the reason I brought that up because I can see the depiction in my minds, awe of the flags depicted all over the park site.
>> I believe --
>> I am curious, are park rangers in the same posture as far as issuing citations for those persons that discard cigarettes butts, whatever, in our county parks?
are they authorized to deal with that, also?
the constables issuing citations for people dumping cigarette butts out the window.
what about our parks?
>> I believe the wording -- I don't have the wording of the law in front of me -- but the wording is discarding or dumping the material from a vehicle.
you think the intent would be to not to discard burning material anywhere, whether you are walking along and drop the cigarette.
I know city parks, they have banned smoking, so -- but as far as whether or not a park ranger, that would be policy for the parks department, I think, to decide exactly how they handle that, but it is a state law that you cannot discard those burning materials like that from vehicles.
so the rangers and the parks department will, I am sure will handle that as any other peace officer in the state would.
>> thank you very much.
keep up the good work.
>> thank you, sir.
>> by take nothing action, we leave in place, current burn ban.
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