GREAT FALLS — Firefighters are preparing for another wildfire season, and residents have an important role to play in prevention through the proper use of burn permits.
Emergency responders continue to emphasize that purchasing and activating burn permits before lighting any fires on your property is crucial to prevent unnecessary deployment of resources.
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Great Falls Fire Rescue Chief Jeremy Jones explained, "That process has to go through dispatch. So if people do call 911, the dispatchers say, oh yeah, we have a legit burn permit out in this area. And what that does is then they're not sending resources to something that they don't need to send them to," Jones said.
Cascade County residents can buy and activate burn permits online or in-person. An automated phone activation system is also available.
Only natural vegetation is permitted to be burned with these permits, and open burning is prohibited within Great Falls city limits.
The specific rules for burn permits varies throughout each county in Montana, so it's important to make sure you check with municipal and/or county authorities before you do any burning.
Cascade County burn information can be found here.
You can check the status of scheduled burns - for any Montana county - on the Montana Burn Permit & Notification Service website by clicking here.
You can also use the site to buy a burn permit, activate an existing permit, and renew an existing permit.
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