SANDPOINT — Quick: Do you know when the closed fire season is in Bonner County?

The answer? May 10 through Oct. 20.

Bonner County Fire Prevention Cooperative officials are encouraging the county’s resident to learn and get to know about the closed fire season, burn permits and how to burn safely. The Idaho Department of Lands issues burn permits, which are required for any burning with the exception of campfires.

Those with internet access can go online to the IDL website to get the free permit. Those without internet access can call or go into your nearest Idaho Department of Lands office. Those who live within the city limits of Sandpoint, Priest River, Clark Fork, Hope, East Hope or Oldtown can contact city officials for information on permits.

Anyone needing additional help or information about fire prevention, including how to their home a fire safe one or safe burning practices, can contact area of district IDL offices, local fire departments or the Bonner County Fire Prevention Cooperative. The cooperative can be reached via email at bonnercountyfireprevention@gmail.com.

All permits are free in the county except for residents in the city limits of both Sandpoint and Priest River. Permits in the city of Sandpoint are $10 per calendar month and permits in the city of Priest River are $10 per calendar year. Permits in East Hope, Oldtown and Clark Fork are free but required to burn.

In the county, permits can be found online, by calling IDL offices or city or rural fire departments.

"Know that permits are simply a courtesy," said the cooperatives Pam Aunun in a press release. "If you have one and some alert driver with a cellphone sees a smoke and calls 911, you might get a phone call to verify you are burning and you can assure all you have everything under control. Your shovel, your hose, your unflagging attention to that burn pile are all intact and on the job."

What happens if there is no burn permit at the reported location?

Aunun said it's likely that local fire officials, IDL or U.S. Forest Service firefighters are dispatched to the location.

"If there you are with your shovel, your hose, and your unflagging attention but you have no permit, well, good, no harm, except resources have been utilized that didn’t need to be," she said.

She asked folks looking to burn to think about what would happen if there was a fire — started by person, lightning, train, maybe even a permitted burn pile where the fire gets away — in another part of the county and those resources. Instead of being able to quickly respond, they're tied up at their home checking on an unpermitted fire.

"You’ve caused delay and more expense plus and perhaps burning more fuels," Aunun said. "Like a house."

By getting a permit, or calling to let your local fire agencies know you are going to burn debris or yard waste, Aunun said it is both a courtesy and a help to local officials and to their neighbors as it keeps fire crews at the ready to respond to fires instead of checking on controlled burns that happen to be unpermitted.

And with conditions being drier than normal, the cooperative reminded area residents to be safe.

"Always pay attention to the weather, forecast and fire conditions," Aunun said.