Fire and Life Safety Code Enforcement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fire department is required by the Wisconsin Administrative Code to perform fire inspections of all public buildings and places of employment within its territory.  For most types of occupancies, inspections are required at least once in every six-month period, or more often if ordered by the fire chief. 

 

The fire department enforces the Wisconsin Administrative Code Comm Chapter 14 Fire Prevention, and the  NFPA 1 Fire Prevention Code is included in this code by adoption.  In addition to these code sets, the Oconto Fire Department also enforces fire and life safety related violations of the City of Oconto Code of Ordinances. 

 

 

Open Burning (Permit Required):

City of Oconto Ordinance SEC 5-2-9 OPEN BURNING.

(a)     “Prohibitions; Definitions.  “Open burning” as used herein, shall mean burning done outside of a building.  Open burning is prohibited in the City of Oconto without first obtaining a permit, with the following exceptions:

(1)     Small outdoor fires used for cooking, or used as part of a public ceremony.

(2)     Small open fires for welding, acetylene torches, safety flares, heating tar, or similar applications.

(3)     No burning shall be allowed on or immediately adjacent to the surface of any blacktop street.

(4)     All leaf burning is prohibited, except in areas within the City zoned “agricultural”.

(5)     No burning shall be allowed in any burning barrels or burning incinerators.

(b)     Substances Which May be Burned.  The following open burning may be conducted providing a burning permit is first obtained:

(1)     Burning of grass or weeds.

(2)     Fires set for practice and instruction of firefighters, or the testing of firefighting equipment.

(3)     The burning of trees, wood, limbs, stumps, brush, or leaves.

(c)     Open Burning Procedures.

(1)     Before setting or starting any fire, a permit authorizing the setting or starting of such a fire shall be obtained from the Fire Chief or from any other person authorized or designated by the Fire Chief to issue such permits.  All open burning conducted pursuant to such duly issued permit shall be performed in a safe, pollution-free manner, when wind and weather conditions are such as to minimized adverse affects, and in conformance with local and state fire protection regulation.

(2)     The size of the pile of material to be burned shall not exceed four (4) feet in any direction measured horizontally, or three (3) feet measured vertically.

(3)     The pile of material being burned shall be at least fifty (50) feet away from any structure, wood or lumber pile, wooden fence, trees, or bushes.  Provisions shall be made to prevent the fire from spreading to within fifty (50) feet of such items.

(4)     Any ashes created by burning such material as is lawful under this ordinance are to be disposed of in a manner authorized by law.

(5)     Open burning shall be constantly  attended and supervised by a competent person of at least sixteen (16) years of age until such fire is extinguished.  This person shall have readily available for use such fire extinguishing equipment as may be necessary for the total control of the fire while burning and/or extinguishing such fire.”

Town of Oconto, Town of Little River: 

§    Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources enforces open burning restrictions.  Burning permits are needed whenever the ground is not snow covered from January 1 through May 31 and other times when the DNR so orders.  Permits can be obtained from your local fire warden or DNR Ranger Stations.

Fireworks Restricted:

City of Oconto Ordinance SEC. 11-2-4 SALE AND DISCHARGE OF FIREWORKS RESTRICED.

“No person shall sell, expose or offer for sale, use, keep, possess, discharge or explode any fireworks except toy pistol paper caps, sparklers, and toy snakes within the limits of the City unless he shall be authorized by a fireworks permit as provided in Title 7, Chapter 6, of this Code of Ordinances.  The term “fireworks” as used in this Section shall be defined as provided in Section 167.10(1), Wis. Stats., and shall be deemed to include all fireworks, rockets or similar missiles containing explosive fuel.”

Town of Oconto, Town of Little River:

Wisconsin State Statues Sec. 167.10 governs the regulation of fireworks