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Temps are cooler, but it's still fire season The logo of Ashland Fire & Rescue. Tuesday Aug 30, 2016 at 8:01 PM Aug 30, 2016 at 8:01 PM Margueritte HickmanFor the Tidings I was pleasantly surprised by the weather this morning as I woke to much cooler temperatures forecasted for this week. However, this is the time of year that some forget that we are still in fire season with extreme fire danger. Typically we will remain in fire season in southern Oregon through mid-October, so we probably have at least four to six weeks left.  Why is this important to remember? There are still fire restrictions in place of which we need to be mindful. Here are a few, but you can find all of the current fire prevention restrictions at www.ashland.or.us/fireseason: • Outdoor fires are not permitted in Ashland even in a fire pit or campfire ring. • Mowing of dry grass and chainsaw use is not permitted at any time. • Smoking in areas of flammable vegetation such as dry grass is prohibited. We thank our residents for paying attention to the fire restrictions and weed abatement requirements. Your efforts help to reduce the number of damaging fires that we see inside the city.  Speaking of fires in the city, there was an eight-acre wildland fire on Mistletoe Road over the weekend. I learned that firefighters had challenges making it to the fire due to those wanting a firsthand glimpse of the fire. Please encourage those you know to stay away from areas of active fire or other emergencies in progress. Additional traffic in the area of a fire can cause challenges for evacuating residents, maneuvering fire equipment, and additionally endangers more people in the event the fire moves the direction of those watching.  One of the other things that are not permitted at any time of the year is aerial luminaries (aka Chinese lanterns). I have long been concerned about the use of these. Something about an open flame flying through the air uncontrolled seems like a bad idea. I had the opportunity to see one of these in action over the weekend while visiting elsewhere. I was able to watch the luminary take flight and go straight up. I could see it go up into the atmosphere for probably at least 1,500-2,000 feet. The flame was still burning when we lost it in the clouds. It finally reached some wind which caused it to drift out of the clouds. I don’t know when the flame went out, but I do know that it burned for quite a while, had a significantly large flame and could have easily been caught in a tree, powerline or have been redirected by the wind at a lower level causing a fire. These are never permitted in Ashland during anytime of the year.  Lastly, I want to remind you to “Be Ready!” for evacuation. We started the fire season suggesting that you “Be Ready!”, and we still want you to “Be Ready!” If you need help starting to prepare for an evacuation notice, check our website at www.ashlandcert.org or come to Ashland Is Ready event on Sept. 10. Tickets are on sale and will sell out before the event. Find more information about Ashland Is Ready at www.ashland.or.us/air.  Please email me if there is a topic you would like to hear about. The Alarm Box, a column with local public safety information, appears triweekly in the Tidings. Margueritte Hickman is a division chief/fire marshal with Ashland Fire & Rescue. Email topic suggestions to her at [email protected].