FAQs

A Knox Box is a small vault that is attached to a building and your fire department has the key to open the vault. Keys to the building are placed in the vault and the fire department will then have access to those keys in case of an emergency and there is time to use the keys instead of forcing entry and causing additional damage.

The fire department does not sell the Knox Box, but you can go to www.knoxbox.com to order the vault.  Each vault is keyed to a specific jurisdiction.  Sanford Fire can only access vaults that are for the City of Sanford.  Be wary of purchasing vaults second-hand as they may not be for our City.

 
(If the Fire Weather is above the Moderate level, a permit will not be issued.)

Campfires, bonfires, and all other outdoor fires:
Kindling or maintaining any open fire on either public or private property within the City of Sanford, must have a written or online fire permit (unless exempt from the State.) Instructions and stipulations on the permit shall be adhered to. These permits shall only be issued to owners, renters, lessees or contractors hired for lot cleaning of the property where the burning operation is to occur.

Fire Permits:

• Fire permits for campfires, outdoor cooking fires, or any other purpose can be issued online (www.maineburnpermit.com or www.wardensreport.com ). These fires must be wood only and be contained within a metal, masonry, or stone fireplace, pit or ring.
• In some cases, the Chief or designee may require inspection of the site before burning.

• The Fire Chief or designee may prohibit any or all outdoor fires within the City of Sanford.

Brush Permit:
These permits can be issued by the State of Maine Forestry Service based on the fire weather danger. Permits to burn brush can be obtained on Low or Moderate fire danger days. There is a list of allowed burning substances that are on the permit. Stop in to any of Sanford's Fire Stations to learn more.

In any open burning situation:
“You shall be liable for response and suppression costs if you are burning without a permit or the fire escapes due to negligence or not following the safety requirements listed on the permit. All open burning shall be in conformity to existing laws and regulation of the Maine Forest Service, Department of Environmental Protection. In accordance with Title 12 statutes, the out-of-door burning of plastic, rubber, Styrofoam, metals, food wastes, chemicals, treated wood or other solid wastes, except for wood wastes, is prohibited in all areas of the State. Any person who engages in out of door burning or who fails to comply with any stated permit condition or restriction commits a Class E crime.”

Your fire department responds to over 4,000 emergencies per year.  That coupled with extensive training requirements and other public involvements means that they are not always in the stations to assist you with getting a permit.  You are welcome to stop in at one of the Fire Stations to obtain a burn permit or obtain one online at www.wardensreport.com.

Every members of the Sanford Fire Department have an EMS license.  When a call for the ambulance is placed a fire engine will respond if:

1. The call is of a serious nature and the extra personnel are paramount to providing the best pre-hospital care possible.
2. The district ambulance is already engaged and an ambulance from farther away is responding.  The district fire engine is staffed with medical equipment and will respond to start providing care while the ambulance is en route.

Firetrucks are filled with water, 1000 gallons on average.  Most of the water is in the storage tank and would be hard to freeze.  However the pump has water in it and that water can freeze taking the engine out of service.  To avoid freezing, this water needs to move around.  During the winter the trucks run to circulate the water and move it around.  In addition there are items that have batteries that need to charge; laptops, gas meters, flashlights, and radios are just some examples of those items.

The Sanford Fire Department does not inspect chimneys at this time.  To obtain an inspection please contact one of the local chimney and woodstove stores.

Often smoke detectors will notify the homeowner by chirping every 5-10 seconds if the battery is low.  If you have replaced the battery with a new battery and it is still chirping most times the sensor inside is dirty and needs to be cleaned.  This can be fixed by using a short burst of compressed air.  Most often the detector needs to be replaced.

Smoke detectors have a life span of about 10 years.  After that time, the sensors may not perform as expected.  If your detector is over 10 years old, it should be replaced.