GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY — We spoke with 911 dispatchers and they say they got several calls since Friday about wildfires.
They say dry ground and high winds have made conditions just right for fires to spread. Dispatchers also say what you need to do before the fire department gets to your home.
“Once a fire gets out of control, it can get very, very out of control very, very fast,’ says Aaron Wright, Dispatcher.
Wildfires are common during dry months of the year. Before you start a fire, you should check the Michigan Department of Natural Resources website to make sure conditions are safe. Blair Township Fire Chief Bill Parker says now is not a good time to burn brush.
“The fire can spread pretty quickly. Some of those conditions are in lake greens up until we get some significant rain, which will help deter that,” Chief Parker said. “The other thing is the wind. When conditions are increasing, you know, gusts up to 40 today. So those aren’t good conditions to burn in.”
Grand Traverse County saw more than 10 wildfires in just one weekend. Parker says it can take a couple of hours to contain what was a small bonfire.
“The one yesterday that was about ten acres. Took about 2.5 hours. A couple of other ones have been, you know, just under an hour,” Chief Parker said. “We just try to stay with them to make sure there’s no hot spots that spread out to other areas and could spread even outside of the original burn area.”
Grand Traverse 911 Central Dispatch is the first to receive the call.
“My first initial response was always to get to a safe location where you and others won’t be harmed. Evacuate the area if you need to. It is more important that you stay safe,” Parker said.
If you call 911, dispatchers will ask many questions and pass the answers along to the fire department.
This helps them fight the fire they are heading to.
“If there is one of those exposures, a structure, a vehicle, propane tank, something like that, the fire department needs to know that information before they get on scene,” says Corey Lecureux, Deputy 9-1-1 Director, “So, we’re going to be asking about where the fire is, what direction of travel the fire is heading, and what might be on fire, because it can be different if it’s a field or if it’s all the way up in the trees, and all of that is going to affect the fire department’s response.”
Chief Parker said if you start a fire, you are responsible for making sure that the fire goes out. If you see a fire out of control, call 911 right away.