Fire Ban

[ScoobyDoo]

Last week DW and I cut short our stay in an Arkansas state park because they could not (or would not) enforce the fire ban.
   About 3:00 PM, one of the dogs taking me for a walk, we stop to look at the man in the next site building his campfire. He asked "you don't think they will say anything if I have a small fire do you?" I say" I hope so,they have burned 200 houses in Texas and Oklahoma because idiots didn't think burn bans aplied to them." and walked away. 5:30, looked around, 5 fires I could see from my site. DW asked "How fast can we hook-up and get out if a fire starts?" I told her to put her purse and papers in the truck, maybe we could get the dogs and us in the truck but wouldn't try to save the PUP.(DRY pine forest)
    Next morning went to office to pay for next night, DW asked ranger rick about the campfires. He said that he made poeple put 4 out at 7:00. She said they were burning at 8. He " I can't do anything about what happend after I went home.
   I put the money back in my pocket, we loaded up.

  I know that I can be a a$$ but if you are going to endanger the whole park and everybody in it than the Ranger should not just come by and ask you to stop, he should stand by until the fire is out, you stuff is loaded and you are out of the park.

[kgravl]

AMEN BROTHER! Here in North Texas it is VERY dry, and we have fires burning all the time seems. In my home town last night, a man decided the county wide burn ban did not apply to him. He lit a fire in his barrel and almost burned down his neighbors' houses. The grass was burned all the way up to some of the houses. He said it's his trash and he can burn it, then go talk to the judge. I hope the judge nails him to the wall. It is dry all over Texas and we REALLY need some of the rain that California has been getting, but at least We aren't stuck in the bottom of a coal mine.

Happy camping.

Keith

[AustinBoston]

He said it's his trash and he can burn it...

He burned a lot more than his trash, didn't he?  I think that's the way a judge would look at it too.

Scooby - I remember an extended discussion about enforcement, either here or on another board.  I believe some felt that their park rangers would personally see to it you were out of the park and/or under arrest if you would not comply with the rules (after adequate warning).  Others felt the rangers were there to fool the fools who thought they meant something.

Everyone agreed that contacting the ranger's supervisor might lead to better enforcement down the road.

I have seen where people who disregard the dangers of fire get themselves into trouble, and often by the time they realize they are in trouble it is too late.  Videos from the Station night club fire abbout six years ago showed people sitting/standing around watching the flames long after they should have been finding the nearest way out.  About 100 people died.

You did the right thing - if something ain't right, get out, get away, get to a safe place.  If he doesn't learn sooner, the ranger will learn when there is an incident.  The words "I can't do anything about what happend after I went home," will ring mighty hollow when someone's small child has been burned or worse.

Austin

[RVMOMNDAD]

Good for you!  I hope you follow up and write a letter to the supervisor of the forest dept and let them know exactly what happen and when.  

Why is it that so many people think the rules apply to everyone but themselves and yet when something happens to them after they have broken the rules, they are the ones who cry the loudest "why ME?"

[ScoobyDoo]

The only thing I think I did right was walk away.  30 years back I might of put the fire out with the dumb donkey, than hit the road. Of course when your RV is a bedroll tied to the sissybar it don't take long to pack up and move.  But then state parks didn't like to let me in.

[AustinBoston]

30 years back I might of put the fire out with the dumb donkey, than hit the road.

The problem with that is now NOBODY wants to camp there, fire or not!  :yikes:


Austin