TOWN OF HUNTER EMERGENCY ORDER NO. 2024-03

AN ORDER AND DECLARATION FOR A BURN BAN FOR ALL OF THE TOWN OF HUNTER UNDER LOCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY

WHEREAS, the Town of Hunter Supervisor hereby finds that circumstances present within the Town of Hunter create a public safety hazard that would be exacerbated by outdoor burning; and

WHEREAS, the Town of Hunter Supervisor heretofore has declared a State of Emergency effective October 27, 2024 at 8:00 p.m., declaring that a state of emergency exists throughout the Town of Hunter due to severe drought conditions and the threat of wildfires caused by outdoor burning, and its imminent threat to the health and welfare of Town of Hunter citizens; and

WHEREAS, the Executive Order, in accordance with Section 24 of the New York State Executive Law, authorizes political subdivisions to take whatever prudent action that is necessary to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the community; and

WHEREAS, Section 24 of the New York State Executive Law authorizes political subdivisions to take all necessary action and issue any necessary orders to protect human life; and

NOW, THEREFORE, it is ORDERED that outdoor burning is prohibited in all of the Town of Hunter as follows:

1. Actions prohibited:
2. A person violates this order if he/she burns any combustible material in an outdoor area.
3. A person violates this order if he/she engages in any outdoor activity which could allow flames or sparks that could result in a fire.

   Enforcement:

4. Upon notification of suspected outdoor burning the local volunteer fire companies shall respond to the scene and take immediate measures to contain and/or extinguish the fire.
5. As soon as possible, the Town of Hunter Police Department or other law enforcement agencies shall respond to the scene to investigate the nature of the fire.  The law enforcement officers shall request immediate compliance with this order.

This order does not apply to the following outdoor burning activities:

1. Firefighting training
2. Burn operations approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

All outdoor burning of yard trash, household paper products, bonfires, campfires, warming fires, outdoor fire places, chimneys, and cooking fires within said jurisdictions is prohibited unless: 1) authorized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; 2) for cooking of food exclusively within a contained gas or charcoal grill.

The setting of fires to any grass, brush or forest covered land, unless authorized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, shall constitute a violation of the law.

BE IT FURTHER ORDERED, that the purpose of this order is the mitigation of the public safety hazard posed by wildfires during the current dry weather conditions and the limited first responders and human resources to combat potential fires during COVID-19 pandemic by curtailing the practice of outdoor burning, accordingly, this order shall expire five (5) days from the date of this Order and Declaration.

Done and ordered this day 5^th day of November, 2024.

 Hon. Sean Mahoney, Town Supervisor