CITY DEPARTMENTS: Public Safety: Burnet Fire & EMS Services
Fire Marshal’s Office
Mission Statement
The mission of the Fire Prevention Division of the Burnet Fire Department is to prevent loss of life and property through proactive, efficient and effective public fire education, code enforcement, inspections and investigations, and in so doing, positively affect the quality of life of the citizens of the city of Burnet.
Fire Code Enforcement: is the administrative and legal process of insuring that new building projects are designed and built using nationally recognized and locally adopted codes that reduce or eliminate the cause or spread of fire. It also pertains to the maintenance of existing buildings in manners of fire safety construction and practices. Punitive enforcement actions are implemented only when other methods fail.
The goal of an enforcement program is compliance. If violations are not corrected a violator is subject to a fine of $500-$2000 per violation, each day the violation continues. The current codes that the Burnet Fire Marshal’s Office enforces are the:
2009 International Fire Code
2009 International Building Code
2009 International Residential Building Code
2009 Life Safety Code (NFPA 101)
Their references and the Code of Ordinance of the City of Burnet
Fire Inspection: The physical act of scrutinizing existing businesses and buildings to locate and correct fire safety violations and hazardous conditions that could make that place more susceptible a fire that could cause the loss of life or property.
Commercial occupancies within the city limits of Burnet, Texas will receive a fire safety inspection once per calendar year.
The saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is never truer than when it comes to fire. The cost of preventing a fire is hundreds of times less than the cost of fighting the fire that starts. Inspecting buildings and facilities to eliminate the causes of accidental fires is the first step in the fight against fire.
Fire Safety Education.
The Burnet Fire Department is Bulldog Tough On Safety. The Burnet Life And Fire Safety (LAFS)Clowns are the highlight of the program. Fire safety clowns Stem Nut and Hooks bring fire safety messages to schools and events through characterization and comedy.
Two safety carnivals are hosted by the Burnet Public Safety departments every year. One in the Spring and one in the Fall. Good times can be had by all as they meet Stem Nut and Hooks, Burnet Firefighters and Burnet Police Officers.
Car seat checks are done as needed and at several planned events during the year.
There are also programs for adult fire safety, fire extinguisher usage and wild fire protection and prevention. The Ready, Set, Go program is available for groups and homeowners associations to teach them how to protect their properties from wildfires and safely evacuate if necessary.
These programs are offered to all areas of the general populace, from day cares to civic groups. There are many fire safety program types and one can be tailored to your specific needs based on audience, age group, and location to name a few. All programs are done by appointment and we ask that you give us two week notice to insure the appropriate program is prepared for you. You can set up a fire prevention program by contacting the Fire Marshal at (512) 756-2662 Ext. 1 or by e-mail.
Fire Origin and Cause/Arson Investigation.
All fires have causes. Some are naturally caused, others, truly accidental. Still others are started on purpose. When this is done it is called arson. The objective of a fire investigation is to determine the origin and cause of a fire. Interviews must be conducted, evidence collected, and comprehensive reports of all findings prepared. If, during the investigation, any criminal activity is uncovered, the investigator must move against those responsible. An investigator, who has reason to believe that arson was committed, is obligated to develop the case to its fullest extent. This may include the filing of criminal charges and serving as a witness for prosecution.If you have knowledge of a fire that was started on purpose in this area you can notify the Burnet Fire Marshal at 512-756-2662 Ext. 1 or call the Texas Arson Hotline or Hill Country Crime Stoppers to leave anonymous information that could help us solve the crime.
Arson Hot Line – 1-877-4FIRE45 (877-434-7345)
Hill Country Crime Stoppers - 1-866-756-TIPS (866-756-8477)
Notices from the Fire Marshal
Fireworks
The City of Burnet prohibits the sale or use of fireworks within its limits.
The Fire Marshal's Office conducts fireworks stand inspections for those stands located in their Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). This is an area within one mile of the city limits of Burnet, Texas. If you are unsure if your stand can be located on a certain property or for other information on fireworks, please call us at area code (512) 756-2662 Ext. 1, Monday through Friday, 8AM to 5PM.
Controlled Burning Inside the City Limits
Controlled burns within the city limits may be conducted by approval from the Fire Marshal's office and is granted by permit only. An onsite review of the material to be burned must be conducted for the permit to be issued.
The permit, which costs $10.00, allows a 30-day period for burning brush on a property located in the city. The permit will be approved so long as the applicant can meet all conditions of the permit which include:
Allowable materials are new or used dimensional lumber that is free from paint, varnish, oils, stains, treatment for insect or decay or glues or resins not found in the wood in its natural state. Any trees or brush collected from the site of the fire.
Unauthorized materials include leaves, peat or any other dense vegetation that does not readily burn and any man made construction material including but not limited to Oriented Strand Board, Plywood, Particle board, glu-lam beams, etc.) and all non-wood construction material.
The fire must be positioned 50 ft or more from other combustible materials and structures
A method of controlling the fire must be present, (i.e. garden hose, extinguisher, etc.)
Fire must be constantly attended by person 17 years of age or older
Hours of burning are sunrise to sunset with no material added to fire one hour or less from sunset
No fires allowed if wind speed is less than 6 mph or greater than 20 mph
In an effort to support the fire prevention efforts of Burnet County, burn permits are subject to the burn bans put in place by the county court. Should a Burn Ban be implemented during the active period of a Burn Permit, the permit will be suspended until the ban is lifted.
The Fire Department will extinguish any non-permitted controlled burns inside the city limits and issue a warning. Further non-compliance is subject to fines from $100.00 to $2000.00 at the discretion of the Municipal Judge.
The Fire Marshal's Office can be reached for further information on controlled burning at area code (512) 756-2662, Ext 1, Monday through Friday, 8AM to 5PM.
City of Burnet P.O. Box 1369 | 1001 Buchanan Drive, Suite 4
Burnet, TX 78611
(512) 756-6093 | Fax (512) 756-8560
