BROOKVILLE — A notice on the Brookville Fire Department’s Facebook page announced that due to the worsening drought conditions, the Ohio state fire marshal has placed Brookville and Montgomery County under an open burn ban.
“With the exception of fires within a device with a chimney or stack, open burning of materials is banned within our jurisdiction until further notice,” the message on the department’s Facebook page stated.
The department’s Facebook page also announced a reminder that “an Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) burn ban will go into effect for daytime hours.”
The ban will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30.
“Typically lower humidity, combined with dry conditions and daytime wind is the basis for the ODNR burn ban,” the department’s Facebook page stated.
In other matters, Brookville Fire chief Ron Fletcher is asking for help in painting fire hydrants.
“As you recall, last spring, led by Brookville High School Principal Jason Stephan, Serve Brookville, painted more than 200 of our fire hydrants,” Fletcher said.
“We still have a handful of hydrants from that project that weren’t painted,” Fletcher continued.
Fletcher indicated he plans to ask the community to help paint the remaining hydrants that need painting.
“We are going to push out and communicate with the community. Whether it’s an individual, a service group, a church, a business, anyone who would like to paint one or more hydrants we have the materials,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher noted it is important to get a “good coat of paint on the hydrants.”
“It’s what protects them and keeps them from rusting and developing a large break,” Fletcher said.
“It’s a necessary piece of maintenance. If we can wrap that project up before winter, that’s something we are looking to do,” Fletcher added.
Reach Terry Baver at [email protected].