AUGUSTA — City residents will be able to get free burn permits starting Monday via an online system that transmits the information directly to the fire department.

Fire Chief Roger Audette said the city is subscribing to an online burn permit system called the wardensreport.comcreated by West Gardiner firefighters.

The city issues about 600 open burn permits a year. The daily permits are free to people who come into any of the city’s three staffed fire stations, Hartford Station, 369 Water St.; Daryl Parker Wells Station, 110 Bangor St., and Western Avenue Station, 22 Armory St.

“For those who like the convenience of obtaining it online, they’ll be able to do it, again for free,” Audette said.

Two-day burn permits cost $7 if obtained through the state website at www13.informe.org/burnpermit.

Subscribing to the online service costs the department a $75 annual fee.

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“The system’s great because it automatically sends texts to a select group of fire department members as well as dispatch,” Audette said. “If we’re going to a call and we know they have a burn permit, we’re not going to go screaming over there, but we’ll still go.”

A number of local departments are using the system, including Gardiner, Litchfield, Pittston, Richmond and West Gardiner.

“We have the ability to set restrictions on the permit based on the fire danger classification that the state puts out every day,” Audette said.

Audette said permits are typically issued by the day, and sometimes with restricted times for burning.

“Otherwise, if the fire danger is not a 3, 4 or 5, we’ll issue them all day long,” he said.

A link to the permit site is available through the department’s website at Augustafire.org.

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There are restrictions on what can be burned. For instance, there is a ban on burning leaves. Most people burn brush, Audette said.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams


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