The Burn Ban Returns to Collin County and Celina

The Collin County Fire Marshal has announced that the Commissioners’ Court, by a vote of 5-0, enacted, effective immediately, a burn ban for Collin County for a period of 90 days or such time as conditions exist to either lift the ban or extend it. The ban is for all outdoor burning in unincorporated areas of Collin County. Exemptions are for crop rotation, mining operations and firefighter training or a person licensed by the State doing a prescribed burn. Campfires will be allowed under the following conditions only:

(1) Has to be in a public park or facility which is maintained by a government entity and

(2) Must be contained within an approved fire ring and

(3) Fire suppression equipments must be available (garden hose, buckets of sand, buckets of water..etc) and

(4) Must have a competent adult in attendance.

The County parks are (1) Myers Park and Event Center, (2) Collin County Adventure Camp, and (3) Parks maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers on Lake Lavon. Restrictions on campfires may tighten should conditions worsen.

The use of barbeque grills, welding without a Hot Works Permit, and discharging fireworks continue to be permitted unless a Disaster Declaration is issued by the Commissioners’ Court.

The Celina Fire Marshal , Chief Mark Metdker, has announced that the City of Celina will follow the same ban on outdoor burning that has been imposed by the Commissioner's Court for Collin County, with the exception that no fireworks are allowed within the city limits. The intent of the ban is to stop the burning of brush, limbs, etc. No new burn permits will be issued. For more information or answers to questions, contact the Fire Marshal’s Office at 972-382-2653 or mmetdker@celina-tx.gov. Enforcement began Wednesday, the 23rd of July.

The Dangers of Asbestos Exposure

The Asbestos & Mesothelioma Center is teaming up with fire departments, townships, and municipalities across the country to raise public awareness on the dangers of asbestos exposure. Asbestos.com is a major educational resource in the U.S. on Asbestos, Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma . Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to Asbestos. For specific information on Mesothelioma, visit http://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/. The Asbestos website has over 2,000+ pages of content and great resources that are made available to you. This includes a nationwide abatement directory, photographs on where you can spot asbestos in your homes and how to safely treat asbestos materials. For more information on Asbestos, please visit The Asbestos & Mesothelioma Center.

In addition, the Mesothelioma Website is available at http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org. It is an established and comprehensive site on mesothelioma, providing facts about palliative care, nutrition, and chemotherapy, as well as information on clinical trials. The website is constantly adding new information and articles, including international news, so the information is always up-to-date. Visitors can sign up to receive a free information packet on asbestos exposure. There is also a phone number available for them to call, where they can talk to a real person to find out more about asbestos-related diseases.

Specifically for firefighters, the Mesothelioma Web has created a page entitled "What Every Firefighter Should Know About Asbestos." Please check it out at: http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/firesection1.htm.