OutdoorBurning

THE BRUSH DUMP . . .
is operated by the Oracle Firewise Board and Oracle Fire District.

THE BRUSH DUMP
See our home page for current details as it is not always open!

BRUSH DUMP HOURS OF OPERATION WHEN OPEN:
8:00am-4:45pm • Key exchange now takes place at front window.
Note that the Brush Dump normal schedule is closed on Sundays and Mondays as well as holidays!

OFD BRUSH DUMP POLICIES & PROCEDURES – FEB. 4, 2022:
POLICIES:
• Use of the brush dump is limited to vegetation removed from properties within Oracle Fire District.
• As always, only tree & shrub trimmings, grass cuttings, and leaves are accepted. Tree trunks over 10” in diameter, tree stumps, cactus, agaves, or yuccas are NOT accepted as they do not burn completely. NO trash, lumber or construction materials, pallets, etc.
• Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday. 8am- 5pm (last key check out at 4:45pm).
• We are now closed on Sundays and Mondays and all Holidays.
• The key will NOT be given to anyone without proof of residency or a permit.
• Non-compliance with any policies or procedures may result in permission to use the brush dump being revoked.
PROCEDURES:
• Proof of residency (Driver License, utility bill, or property tax document) that shows that you own property within Oracle Fire District or are renting is required to complete a resident form and to obtain permits.
• New resident forms will only be issued by the OFD administrative staff, front office of the fire station, Mon-Thurs 8am-4pm, and Friday mornings 8am-noon.
• If you cannot make it to OFD during these admin. hours, email either Tina at [email protected] or Cherie at [email protected] or call 520-896-2980 during admin. hours for alternative methods.
• Once an Oracle resident form is completed, they will be issued a Resident card with their name and number, which can be shown at the front office for the brush dump key.
• For an Oracle resident using a contractor to haul their brush, a sheet of 5 “permits"with your name and Resident ID # will be issued. The resident will be required to complete each permit with their name and phone number. When needed, the resident will fill in the contractor’s name and phone number on the permit and give one permit to them. More permits may be issued on a case-by-case basis.
• The resident will show their card, or the contractor will give the permit to the person at the front window of the OFD station, and will be required to pay the appropriate fee . . .
• $5 for one load – back of truck OR trailer
• $10 for two loads – back of truck AND trailer
• $20 for a dump truck.
Note: EXACT CHANGE IS REQUIRED!

Can't take it to the local OFD Brush Dump?
Materials (like cactus, agaves, large tree stumps, construction lumber, etc) can be taken to our local Waste Management location using a Pinal County Voucher . . .

Waste Voucher Disposal Program Application –
1. Complete and return the Application:
Contact 520-866-6419 for the application or you can click HERE
or on this link for the application:
https://pinalcountyaz.seamlessdocs.com/f/wastewatervoucher
2. Submit the required documents:
Required Documents:
1. A current utility bill stating your name and residential service address. Acceptable Documents: Water, Power, Sewer & Trash Bill.
2. A copy of a valid State Issued ID/Driver’s License.
Voucher pickup information will be provided by Public Works once the application has been approved.
Three vouchers are issued to the primary residence once per year. Valid voucher dates are July-Oct, Nov-Feb & March-June. Any lost vouchers will not be replaced.

ORACLE BRUSH DUMP – Over the last few years, the amount of brush being dumped has increased dramatically. We’ve even seen brush coming up from as far as Tucson and Marana, which has overwhelmed our little community resources. Please see our most recent policies and procedures below. Want to get rid of materials you can't take to the brush dump? See information on Pinal County Vouchers above.

BRUSH DUMP HISTORY . . .
LATEST BRUSH BURN: On Wednesday, April 15, 2020 the brush at the dump was burned successfully.
brushburn2017
After seeing the piles start to build up, our long-awaited burn at the Oracle Brush Dump occurred in July 2014 and It was a very manageable fire. The brush burned much slower than predicted it would; we actually had to encourage fire growth by torching out ahead of the fire. Humidity in the 30% to 40% range is ideal burning conditions and we are currently at 40%. We had 23 Department of Corrections Wildland Firefighters watching over the fire, plus our OFD on-duty crew. We had a complete burn and met all objectives. Shown here is Oracle and Florence Wildland crews working together to burn brush at the Oracle Firewise Brush Dump.
home burn

bdump-lg
Note we are presently updating this sign
at the Brush Dump with the latest information and policies.


Check HERE for more photos of the Brush Disposal Site and our staff in action.

THE RULES . . .
The Site is open to residents of Oracle. Items gladly accepted are: tree trimmings and brush.
Items NOT accepted are cactus, garbage, lumber, stumps, paper, plastics, metal, fluids and site cleaning material.

BRUSH BURNINGS . . .
The collected brush is burned multiple times per year depending upon weather conditions. Burning and extinguishing the brush has become a popular method for training new firefighters. Firefighters learn how to properly use various ignition devices, also operating fire engine pumps, deploying hoses, nozzles and providing various methods of water delivery.

HOW IT STARTED . . .
The Oracle Brush Disposal program began in the mid to late 1980s. During the early years of the program, Pinal County and the Oracle Volunteer Fire District, provided equipment and volunteer manpower to collect and burn vegetative waste products approximately six times per year.
The collection site was at the current location of the Waste Management Transfer Station on E. American Ave.

After the Aspen Fire of 2003, Oracle Fire Department officials decided that the community of Oracle needed to implement a Firewise program. The Oracle Fire Department hosted several public meetings and workshops, and community interest in the Firewise program quickly developed. During those meetings and workshops, local citizens expressed much concern about Oracle's high fire hazard conditions. Homeowners were eager to participate in the new Firewise program in an effort to help their homes survive a catastrophic wildfire. Many of them aggressively began creating defensible/survivable spaces around their homes by removing flammable items such as grass, brush, low hanging tree limbs, etc.   
The East American Ave. brush disposal program quickly proved to be inadequate for the large quantities of brush that home owners were now removing from their properties. An alternate site was selected on West American Avenue, and with the help of the Arizona State Land Department, a "right to use" agreement was entered into. Oracle was divided into quadrants and community volunteers staffed the new brush disposal site. Each Saturday people living in one of the selected quadrants were allowed to bring as many loads of brush as they could during that day. The popularity of the Firewise program grew so quickly, that every 4th Saturday simply wasn't enough to accommodate community brush disposal needs. The Oracle Fire Department and the Oracle Firewise Board decided that the brush disposal program should be managed by the fire department. A small fee schedule was adopted to cover the anticipated costs of managing the site.