LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — In recent weeks, the Jerusalem Township Fire Department has been called to several wild land fires sparked by illegal burns.
The department told WTOL 11 they would like people to remember what they refer to as 'learn before you burn,' and to be conscience of the rules and regulations during a crucial time in the Ohio burn ban law.
"What we recommend is that people put stuff in a burn pit or a burn barrell with a grate," said Jersualem Township Firefighter Jasmin Tropf. "Whether that be a grill grate or chicken grate on top of it to prevent large ashes or embers from leaving that barrel that way they can safely burn."
Burn ban months are March, April, May, October and November. It is illegal to have an open burn or an open burn pile in your yard, even if it's secluded, from the hours of 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
In recent weeks, the department has also responded to water rescues where not all people on the boat were wearing life jackets, causing an urge to remind people of water safety.
"The fact that we recently had a couple water rescues where we've had victims in the water not wearing their PFDs is quite scary," said JTFD Chief Tony Parasiliti. "There's a response time...That's a period of time that a person maybe treading water..So we've also had people incurring some minor hypothermia which then leads to a medical emergency."
The fire department is asking you to follow safety protocols when on a boat, including having the same number of life vests as people.
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