LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- Firefighters are used to putting out fires, but Sunday afternoon, Jefferson County Fire spokesperson Jordan Yuodis is making one bigger at the Kentucky Regional Fire Training Academy, a section which has been turned into a classroom to demonstrate what isn't allowed when it comes to open burning.
The fire is coming out of a metal fire pit that is broken with holes around the base, and Yuodis is throwing in anything he can find from wooden planks to hay to plastic bottles, all of which are not allowed when it comes to recreational burning in Jefferson County.
"We've seen everything from plastic cups to plastic chairs to sofas, you name it, we've seen people burn it," Yuodis said.
According to Yuodis, the only thing people are allowed to burn in Jefferson County is seasoned firewood. Everything else, including the loose tree limbs and leaves that are commonly found in a yard, are banned.
"They put off a column of thick, brown nasty smoke, and a lot of times that gets confused or mistransmitted to us as somebody's house is on fire," he said. "So we've got multiple fire companies responding to what we think is a house that's on fire when indeed it's a fire pit or something in the backyard."
Beyond sending firefighters to potential false alarms, Yuodis said illegal burning also carries a health and safety risk.
"The chemicals and things that are used in couches, the glues, things of that nature are toxic, and we don't want to put those things in the air for us to breathe," he said. "We've seen time after time where these instances end up being a huge field fire or greenery fire."
According to Yuodis, Jefferson County fire crews have gotten several calls a week about illegal burnings or smoke coming from such fires. He said the majority of the time, the people usually don't know the rules, especially since most other nearby counties don't have these restrictions.
"We get often, 'Well in Grayson I could' or 'In Bullitt I could,' and we understand that, but in Jefferson County, you cannot," he said.
Yuodis said firefighters are not out to get people and will only put out the fire and inform people of the rules. He said only when someone is a repeat offender will firefighters get the Air Pollution Control Board involved.
For more information on what is allowed and what is banned when it comes to open burning as well as when it is allowed, check out the Air Pollution Control District's website: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/air-pollution-control-district/open-burning
►Contact reporter Dennis Ting at dting@whas11.com. Follow him on Twitter (@DennisJTing) and Facebook.