Burning Curtailment Season Begins Today

STOCKTON, Calif., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 16 air district winter burning curtailment programs covering 71 counties in the Western US begin today, leaving many residents confused about when they can burn and the restrictions that may be imposed on their fireplace usage. Residents can check www.WhenToBurn.com for a single-point resource on burning statuses and tips on ways to reduce particulate emissions when burning a fire.

According to research conducted by Merrill Research, two-thirds of people who search for burn status information look online. www.WhenToBurn.com is the one place that aggregates the current burn status from air districts into one portal. Residents can access their local information by inputting their ZIP code into the website search function. In most communities, fires in fireplaces or wood stoves are permitted on most nights of the year.

WhenToBurn.com contains details from air districts that enforce mandatory programs such as Spare the Air Days, including: Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Bernalillo County Winter Advisory No Burn Program, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, Maricopa County Air Quality Department, Northwest Clean Air Agency, Olympic Region Clean Air Agency, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Sacramento Metro Air Quality Management District, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Southwest Clean Air Agency, Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

The resource was developed by Duraflame, Inc. to address questions from consumers in the Western US, where mandatory burning curtailment programs are most prevalent. WhenToBurn.com is part of the longstanding Duraflame public education program to promote cleaner burning practices.

In order to help maintain clean air quality, the following tips are recommended:

• Always ensure the flue is open before lighting a fire and that there is an adequate draft up the chimney.
• Have chimneys inspected and cleaned annually by a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep®. The Chimney Safety Institute of America's website offers a Certified Professional Locator.
• Never burn garbage or plastic.
• Regularly remove ashes from the fireplace to maintain proper airflow. Always empty the ashes into a metal container with a lid and store outside on a concrete surface.
• Use manufactured firelogs, like duraflame®, instead of wood; A firelog produces 70 percent less particulate emissions than an equivalent duration wood fire.
• If burning wood, use only dry, seasoned cordwood (dried for at least six months with less than 20 percent moisture).
• Use manufactured firestarters to start your wood faster, which can also reduce the fires' emissions.

About Duraflame, Inc.

Duraflame, Inc. is America's firelog brand leader. Headquartered in Stockton, Calif., Duraflame is a privately held, family-owned company that has been in business for more than 40 years. The company produces and distributes fire logs, fire starters, fireplace accessories, barbecue and outdoor products. More information about Duraflame and its product line is available at www.duraflame.com.

SOURCE Duraflame, Inc.