Spring and Fall are brush fire seasons in our region. Area fields are full of dry crop residue, wooded areas are covered in dry leaves and yards haven’t turned green yet. The mixture of low humidity, high winds and plenty of available dry vegetation and debris on the ground to burn can make for a very dangerous situation. The Township monitors weather conditions daily and may place a temporary restriction on burning until conditions improve.

*Please be aware that while Spring is historically the most common time of year for burn bans, they can be enacted at any time as a result of drought or other weather related events.

Burn bans are automatically enacted EVERY TIME a Fire Danger Weather Related Warning is issued for our area by the National Weather Service. These notices include the following:

- Fire Weather Watch

- Enhanced Threats for Fire Spread

- Red Flag Warnings

Burn bans apply to all open fires! For more information regarding regulations for burning including acceptable items to burn, hours of burning, setbacks, etc. please review the Township’s Burn Ordinance by clicking here.

Ways that you can find out if a burn ban is in effect:

- Contact the Lehigh County 911 Center, Non-emergency # 610-437-5252

(Note: Per Twp. Ord. All open burns must be reported to the County 911 Center via this #)

- Contact the Township office at 610-767-9297 during normal business hours

- Sign-up for weather alerts from the National Weather Service. If an alert is issued related to fire weather in our Township, then open burning is prohibited during the times specified in the alert.

Can a fire truck get to YOUR house?? FREE driveway evaluation available! We never think it’s going to happen to us… until it does. Imagine if there is an emergency or a fire on your property. What if emergency vehicles get to your driveway and cannot get through or get stuck? Did you know that the average fire truck needs a clearing at least 20 feet wide and 14 feet high to get through? I know I didn’t.

A lot of us live in the county because we like being secluded. We love the trees, wildlife and open space. What we often don’t think about is how would a fire truck get to my house in an emergency?

Most fire trucks cost well over $600,000 and repairs are very costly as well. Our Volunteer Fire Departments do a fantastic job taking meticulous care of their equipment so that it is always ready and reliable in an emergency. If your driveway has low hanging tree limbs or brush that encroaches onto the driveway it could hamper and/or damage emergency vehicles attempting to access your property.

Private bridges and drainage pipes may be safe for cars and trucks, but can it hold a tanker truck filled with water? The average weight of a fire truck carrying water, equipment and personnel is 19 to 30 tons or 38,000 to 60,000 pounds. A small bridge or a drainage pipe that is not rated or installed to hold that much weight could keep emergency vehicles from reaching you.

Please make sure your address is visible at the entrance of your driveway. Mark the edges as well as any drainage ditches, large rocks, or drop offs with reflective poles or driveway markers.

Did you know??? You should contact the Township Emergency Management Coordinator as soon as possible when you have damage from a major storm event. Why?? The Emergency Management Coordinator is tasked with collecting damage reports and sharing them with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. These reports help PEMA to determine if our municipality and its residents are eligible for state or federal help. The initial reports are often due within 6-12 hours of the event. There is no guarantee that help will become available or that your damage will be eligible, but if help becomes available and you reported damage to us, we will be contacting you to let you know how to apply.

Once you have assessed the damage after a storm take lots of photos of the damage, call your insurance company, and don’t forget to notify the Emergency Management Coordinator. Use this form as a guide for the type of information that should be reported: Storm Damage Form

Email your damage report and photos to ddidra@heidelberglehigh.org

Emergency Management Coordinator: Dawn Didra
Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator: Phillip Hobel
(Emergency Management Coordinator and Deputy are both volunteer positions)

Being prepared and staying informed can go a long way to keeping you and your family safe. Below you will find resources that will help you with both.