The burn ban will be in effect for the following reservations:

Nisqually Reservation Wash.

Muckleshoot Reservation, Wash.,

Chehalis Reservation, Wash,

Puyallup Reservation, Wash.

Colville Reservation, Wash,

Spokane Reservation, Wash,.

Yakama Reservation, Wash.

The burn ban applies to all outdoor and agricultural burning, including camping and recreational fires within reservation boundaries. Ceremonial and traditional fires are exempt from the outdoor burn ban.

EPA also requests that reservation residents reduce all sources of air pollution, including excess driving and idling of vehicles, and the use of woodstoves and fireplaces, unless it is your only source of heat.

Air pollution can have significant health impacts. Cooperation from the community will help people who are at risk during this period. Those most at risk are children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with difficulty breathing and with heart and lung problems. Those at risk should avoid outdoor exercise and minimize exposure to outdoor pollution as much as possible.

Please call 1-800-424-4EPA and ask for the FARR Hotline or visit the Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR) website for the current burn status at www.epa.gov/r10earth/FARR.htm.

EPA Calls Burn Ban for Several Reservations in Washington Starting Friday, February 3 at 8 AM

Contact:
Gary Olson, 206-553-0977, olson.gary@epa.gov
Keith Rose, 206-553-1949, rose.keith@epa.gov

The burn ban applies to all outdoor and agricultural burning, including camping and recreational fires within reservation boundaries. Ceremonial and traditional fires are exempt from the outdoor burn ban.

EPA also requests that reservation residents reduce all sources of air pollution, including excess driving and idling of vehicles, and the use of woodstoves and fireplaces, unless it is your only source of heat.

Air pollution can have significant health impacts. Cooperation from the community will help people who are at risk during this period. Those most at risk are children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with difficulty breathing and with heart and lung problems. Those at risk should avoid outdoor exercise and minimize exposure to outdoor pollution as much as possible.

Please call 1-800-424-4EPA and ask for the FARR Hotline or visit the Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR) website for the current burn status at www.epa.gov/r10earth/FARR.htm.

Outdoor burning such as recreational fires in Spokane County can resume as normally allowed this time of year. Forest Management / silvicultural burning can resume if allowed by rule burn or by conditions in your permit.  Burning barrels and burning for disposal purposes is never allowed.

The Stage 1 “Condition Yellow” burn ban issued, December 3, will continue until further notice. The National Weather Service has extended the Air Stagnation Advisory until Tuesday December 20th.  Only EPA certified wood burning devices and pellet stoves are allowed. The use of any uncertified wood heating devices, including fireplaces, uncertified fireplace inserts and uncertified wood stoves, is banned in the Smoke Control Zone.  All outdoor burning throughoutSpokaneCounty is also banned, including forest management/silvicultural burning.

We will continue to see some improvement during the day time hours but expect very high levels of particulates to buildup over night Sunday and on into the week.  Stagnant weather conditions and elevated fine particle pollution are the main factors for issuing the burn ban.  

Again under a Stage 1 burning ban:

• No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home’s only adequate source of heat.
• No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
• It is OK to use natural gas, propane, pellet and EPA certified wood stoves or inserts during a Stage 1 burn ban.

The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to people with lung and heart problems, people with diabetes, children, and older adults (over age 65).

Wood burning devices, such as stoves, inserts and fireplaces are responsible for approximately 80% of the particulate (smoke) pollution inSpokaneCountyduring the winter months. Over 2,000 tons of fine particulates are released into the air during the wood burning season.

As is the case today, if particulate levels are on the rise and stagnant weather conditions prevail, Spokane Clean Air can restrict the use of wood stoves and other solid fuel burning devices. A three-stage system is used for reporting wood burning conditions, “Green,” “Yellow,” and “Red.”

Throughout the heating season, wood burners are advised to check current burning conditions prior to lighting any fires, by calling the Burning Information line at (509) 477-4710 or visiting www.spokanecleanair.org. While online, residents can subscribe to receive an email when a burn ban is issued and rescinded.