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Councilor Zelenka asked how the program controlled the risk of such a burn getting out of control. Mr. <br />Taylor said all prescribed burns were done in partnership with other agencies, including all the land <br />managers in west Eugene, including The Nature Conservancy, City of Eugene, Army Corps of Engineers, <br />and the Bureau of Land Management. They combined their resources to accomplish the burns. The <br />Oregon Department of Forestry was also involved. There was a detailed plan for each burn identifying all <br />resources required, including people and equipment. There were also extensive backup plans. <br />Councilor Zelenka asked how the acres burned by the program compared to the acres burned for grass <br />seed production. Mr. Taylor said the program's burns were much smaller and the methods used were <br />different to reduce the impact of the burn. He did not know how the acreage compared. <br />Councilor Zelenka indicated support for the ordinance. <br />Responding to a question from Mayor Piercy about the air monitoring that occurred during controlled <br />burns and what citizens could do if they felt a negative effect from a controlled burn, Mr. Taylor noted <br />that the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency ( LRAPA) regulated such burns. The program worked <br />closely with LRAPA staff on the day of the burn to ensure weather conditions were appropriate. Staff <br />took weather readings every 15 minutes throughout the burn to monitor conditions, and tracked the <br />direction of the smoke plume. Mr. Taylor further reported that the City provided notice to residents living <br />within a half -mile of the burn. Citizens could contact the City for more information or to let City staff <br />know of smoke incursions near them. <br />Councilor Brown determined from Mr. Taylor that the burning that occurred was staggered and did not <br />occur all at once, and that the City attempted to burn each parcel once every five years. <br />Councilor Ortiz confirmed with Mr. Taylor that the City used the City Fire & EMS Department to <br />oversee its burns. Responding to a follow -up question from Councilor Ortiz, Mr. Taylor also confirmed <br />that controlled burns were a multi jurisdictional effort. The Nature Conservancy contracted with private <br />fire suppression entities while the public agencies in the partnership had their own fire fighting resources <br />and backup. <br />There being no further questions, Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 7:50 p.m. <br />Respectfully submitted, <br />16 c <br />Beth Forrest <br />City Recorder <br />(Recorded by Kimberly Young) <br />MINUTES — Eugene City Council May 16, 2011 Page 3 <br />Public Hearing <br />