Our opinion

Over the last few weeks, it’s been hard not to notice the endless stream of rescue response vehicles trundling down the county’s highways. At some point nearly every day, firefighters and rescue personnel have responded to the constant call of brush and structure fires throughout our community.
Some fires are simple incidents, easily assessed and extinguished. Others are more complex and dangerous events, threatening property and life amid perpetual peril.
Some fires are unfortunate accidents. Others are simply the result of carelessness. Either way, there’s always damage to property and imminent danger. 
Most of us not affiliated with one of the five volunteer fire companies in the county (six, if we count Rapidan) cannot fully appreciate the efforts these men and women make to protect our community. These folks are volunteers who choose to offer their time and talents to protect our community. Their efforts, coupled with those of our professional fire and EMS staff guarantee our community is as safe as it can be.
We owe them our thanks, but also our vigilance. For those of us who don’t volunteer our time to emergency services, we can at least dedicate some common sense to make sure these good folks aren’t spending their time dousing our mistakes. We owe it to our community to save this valuable resource for actual emergencies, rather than compensating for our poor judgment.
While it should go without saying, recent events dictate we could use a refresher on ways to prevent structure and brush fires. And, with the state 4 p.m. burn law effective Feb. 15, some basic fire safety reminders include:
• Clear a safety zone that is wide enough to prevent the escape of the fire.
• Keep a supply of water and a rake or shovel readily accessible.
• Never leave a fire unattended (state law year round).
• If a fire does escape, call 911 immediately.
•Burn after 4 p.m. (state law Feb. 15 through April 30 of each year). The law applies to campfires, warming fires, brush piles, household trash, stumps, fields of broomstraw and brush or anything capable of spreading fire.
• Burn when the wind is calm.
Meanwhile, as winter weather chills us to the core and sends the thermometer south, it is critical we consider the effects of our efforts to warm ourselves and our homes.
Improper ash disposal from woodstoves and fireplaces has become a common cause of many forest and home fires. Wood ashes retain enough heat to ignite other combustible materials for several days.
•Dispose of wood ashes in a metal container that can be tightly closed, douse with water, place the closed container outside your home away from combustible materials and leave in the container for several days before disposing of them. Inconceivably, many people dispose of their wood stove ashes in garbage containers that are often plastic or even paper bags. It doesn’t take much heat for these types of containers to burst into flames.
• Do not dispose of ashes in a paper, plastic or cardboard containers
• Do not assume the ashes are cold and pour them onto the ground (even into a hole) where leaves can blow onto them or the wind can stir up sparks.
Indoors, smoke detectors are critical safety considerations that are often overlooked.
Working smoke alarms save lives and can double your chances of surviving a fire.
•Install smoke alarms on every level of your home.
•Test your smoke alarm monthly.
•Clean your smoke alarm often. Keep it free of dust and replace the battery at least twice a year.
Remember, improperly working smoke, especially alarms with missing batteries, can not warn you of danger!
We won’t be able to prevent all brush and structure fires, but we can do our part to provide our local firefitghters and emergency response personnel with another tool in their arsenal–common sense.