Beginning January 12, stop by the Central Fire Station between the hours of 7am to 5pm, Monday thru Thursday and Fridays between 8am- 12pm. You will be issued an Open Burning Facts Sheet and a numbered permit upon receipt of the $10 seasonal permit fee. (Checks/money orders only payable to the City of Beverly no cash will be accepted. A fee of $25.00 will be charged for any returned check).
Although you may obtain a permit before the 15th, it is only valid from January 15 – May 1 2011. Burning is not allowed before January 15.
Daily Activation of Your Permit
On each day you wish to burn, you must activate your permit by calling the Central Fire Station at 978-922-2424 between the hours of 9:30am and 1pm to obtain permission based on weather and environmental conditions. Please have your permit number handy when you call.
Open Burning Season January 15 – May 1 In Massachusetts many communities, including Beverly, allow open burning between January 15 and May 1. Although open burning is regulated by the Department of Environmental Protection under 310 CMR DEP 7.07, local fire departments are charged with enforcing DEP Regulations and issuing permits for open burning.This year, in an effort to curb illegal burning and reduce incidents of improper permitted burning, the Beverly Fire Department is changing the way it issues its open burning permits. In years past, a homeowner would simply call the Department the morning they wished to conduct the burning and a permit would be issued free of charge over the phone. Now residents will have to come in to the station once a year during burning season to file a seasonal permit with the department that will cost them $10.00. After the initial issuance of the permit, the owner will only be required to call with the permit number to request permission to burn on additional days. Permission will be based on weather and environmental conditions.The new permitting system will bring the Department in line with other surrounding communities and will provide the person to whom the permit is issued with a better understanding of the requirements that go along with an open burning permit as well as a better likelihood of conducting the burning in a safe manner. Although open burning can be an efficient way of removing some yard waste, people often forget that fire can be extremely unforgiving when attention to detail isn’t paid. A momentary lapse can result in serious personal injury or property damage. In addition to the safety concerns are limitations to what can be burned for environmental reasons. In Beverly, you can begin to burn after 10 am and have to have the fire out by 4 pm. The fire must always be attended and the responsible person should always have some extinguishing method handy to keep the fire from getting out of control. Fires should be kept manageable and children should never be allowed near the operation. Remember to start the fire safely. Never use gasoline or other flammable liquids to start a fire. And always remember to call 911 as soon as you feel a fire might be getting away from you. Please see the following guidelines for safe open burning operations provided by the Massachusetts Fire Marshal’s Office With A Permit, Burning of the Following Materials is Allowed:
Brush, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris from other than commercial or industrial land clearing operations
Materials normally associated with the pursuit of agriculture such as, fruit tree prunings, dead raspberry stalks, blueberry patches for pruning purposes, and infected beehives for disease control.
Trees and brush resulting from agricultural land clearing.
Fungus infected elm wood, if no other acceptable means of disposal is available.
Burning of the Following Materials is Prohibited Statewide:
Brush, trees, cane and driftwood from commercial and/or industrial land clearing operations.
Grass, hay, leaves and stumps, and tires.
Construction material and debris
How to Safely Ignite the Fire
An adult should always be present during open burning and children and pets should be kept at a safe distance away.
Use paper and kindling to start a fire and add progressively larger pieces of wood. Parts of a leftover Christmas tree may also be used.
Never use gasoline, kerosene or any other flammable liquid to start a fire! The risk of personal injury in these cases is very high.
Burn one small pile at a time and slowly add to it. This will help keep the fire from getting out of control.
Select a location away from utility lines.
Fires Must be Attended Until Completely Extinguished Do not leave your fire burning unattended. This is a reason to revoke your burning permit. Fire Control Tools and Water Supply Must Be Present The water supply can be a pressurized fire extinguisher, a pump can or garden hose, and be sure to test it out before igniting the fire to be sure it works properly. Also, if relying on a garden hose double-check that the water supply is turned on and that there are no cracks in the hose itself. You are required to have a water supply and fire control tools on hand. Watch the Wind: Be Prepared to Extinguish All Open Burning It is unsafe to burn during high winds. Use common sense and don’t wait for the fire department to contact you that is has become unsafe to burn. Sudden wind change is the how most open burning gets out of control. Don’t Delay a Call for Help If for some reason, the fire should get out of control, call the fire department immediately. Use the utmost caution to prevent injury to yourself or family members or any damage by fire to your home. April is the Cruelest Month April is usually the worst month for brush fires. When snow pack recedes, before new growth emerges, last year’s dead grass, leave and wood are dangerous tinder. Winds also tend to be stronger and more unpredictable during April. Unfortunately many people wait until the warmer weather to conduct open burning. Prevent Wildfires by Burning During Wet Snowy Conditions Prevent permit fires from becoming wild land fires by burning early in the season. Wet and snowy winter conditions hinder the rapid spread of fire on or under the ground. Weather conditions and increased fire danger may lead to many days when burning cannot be allowed to take place. Open Burning Alternatives Open burning releases large amount of carbon dioxide, other gases and solid substances directly into the air, which can contribute to respiratory problems. Disposal of natural materials is best for the environment when they are used again in a different form. Try chipping or composting tree limbs, brush or forestry debris to use as landscaping materials.