Our Affiliates & Partners
City of Martinsburg Free Smoke Detector Program
Did you know that most fire deaths occur in residential structures? Did you know that the majority of those deaths occur at night while people are sleeping? Did you know that smoke, not the flame itself, is usually what causes people to die? The good news is that many of these fire deaths are preventable. In fact, if you have working smoke alarms in your home, you have at least a 50% greater chance of surviving a residential structure fire.
The Martinsburg Firefighters Local 805 and Martinsburg Fire Department believe so strongly in the importance of having working smoke alarms that we implemented the free smoke detector program. Through donations and fund-raising efforts, Martinsburg Firefighters Local 805 and the Martinsburg Fire Department maintain a supply of smoke detectors which we provide to our residents free of charge. We will come to your home and install them for you to ensure that they are in the proper locations. We believe every home in the City of Martinsburg should have working smoke detectors. If you are a City of Martinsburg resident and need a smoke alarm, please contact the Martinsburg Fire Department at (304) 264-2111 for information or stop by the Martinsburg Fire Department 200 North Raleigh St in Martinsburg.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why do I need a smoke alarm?
- Most fatal fires occur at night.
- Smoke is the killer in most fires.
- An alarm sounding can alert you while there is still time to escape.
What kind should I get?
- Select those approved by nationally recognized laboratories. I.e. Underwriters Laboratory (U.L.) or Factory Mutual (F.M.)
Where should they be installed?
- One per each level (including basement) of your home, and outside each sleeping area.
- On the ceiling, at least 6 inches away from the wall and 3 feet from any air ducts.
- On the wall, 6 -12 inches from the ceiling or any corner.
How many should I have?
- Smoke alarms should be inside of each sleeping area, outside of each sleeping area, and on every level of the home (including basements).
- Kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and attics are not good places for smoke alarms because cooking, steam, dust, and car exhaust can cause too many false alarms. However, heat detectors would be an acceptable replacement.
- If a smoke alarm is giving too many false alarms, try moving to another spot in the same area but never remove the batteries or take the alarm down.
How do I maintain the alarm?
- Replace batteries according to the manufacturer’s recommendations – or at least once a year. It is recommended to change the batteries in your smoke detector when you adjust your clocks for day light savings time.
- A chirping noise also indicates a need to change batteries.
- Purchase a 10 year (long-life) alarm with a lithium battery that never needs replaced.
- Test your smoke alarm once per month using the test button.
- Dust can damage your alarm’s sensitivity. Most units need to be cleaned once a year by dusting or vacuuming.
- Smoke alarms should last 7-10 years (varies by manufacturer) if properly maintained.
For more information on the free smoke detector program, or concerns regarding fire safety in your home, please contact the Martinsburg Fire Department.
City of Martinsburg Fire Department
200 North Raleigh St, Martinsburg, WV 25404
(304) 264-2111
City of Martinsburg Burning Ordinance
(For properties that are within the “physical city limits”)
1501.06 REGULATION OF OUTDOOR BURNING
(a) The requirements of this rule establish standards for open burning and apply everywhere within the City of Martinsburg.
(b) No outdoor burning shall be permitted in the City of Martinsburg except for those allowed under subsection (c) and (d) hereof.
(c) Residential Outdoor Burning.
(1) Small cooking or warming fires, around which all combustible and flammable products have been removed. This type of fire shall be allowed at any time in a container manufactured or constructed for the purpose of building a fire.
(2) Yard and garden waste may be burned twice a year, March 15th through March 30th and November 1st through November 15th with the following restrictions.
A. Call Berkeley County Central Dispatch each day burning is to take place at (304) 263-1330 prior to burning. This establishes a record of where burning is taking place and the responsible person.
(Ord. 2009-05. Passed 4-21-09.)
B. All yard and other residential burning shall be done between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. At 8:00 p.m., all burning is to be extinguished, to include no smoldering and no smoke.
(Ord. 2011-06. Passed 10-13-11.)
C. Only natural vegetation (thoroughly dried at least 10 days) shall be burned. The fire shall not contain any household trash, roofing material, rubber, plastic, asbestos, insulation, building materials (including sawed lumber), stumps or limbs over eight inches in diameter, or any other solid waste.
D. All burning must be supervised at all times and before leaving any fire unattended the fire must be extinguished. A minimum area of 10 feet must be cleared from the material being burned.
E. The burn pile shall not be larger than 4 feet in diameter and 4 feet in height. Only one pile shall be burned at any time. The burn pile shall be at least ten (10) feet from any property line or any structure.
F. Sawed lumber as in scrap construction material or wood removed during demolition of structures is not considered as burnable material. In addition, during demolition of structures, debris cannot be pushed into a foundation for the purpose of disposing of it by burning.
G. Allowed outdoor burning which creates smoke, odor, or ash that becomes a nuisance to the public and is reported to the Martinsburg Fire Department or the Martinsburg Police Department shall be ordered to be extinguished and if necessary, shall be extinguished by the Martinsburg Fire Department.
(d) Burning for Clearing Land.
(1) Burning for clearing land shall only be allowed after a permit has been obtained from the West Virginia Division of Forestry and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection-Division of Air Quality.
(2) The applicant shall notify the City of Martinsburg Fire Department and Planning Department five days prior to filing an application with the West Virginia Division of Forestry and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection-Division of Air Quality for a permit for open burning.
(3) Burning for clearing land shall only be permitted during the months of November, December, January, February, and March.
(e) Outdoor Burning Prohibited. The Chief of the Fire Department may prohibit any and all outdoor burning within the Municipality when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous.
(f) Penalty. Any person, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other form of business entity that violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) per violation, plus payment of court costs and fire suppression costs if it escapes beyond its origin. (Ord. 2009-05. Passed 4-21-09.)
City of Martinsburg
232 North Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV 25401
(304) 264-2131
City of Martinsburg Fire Department
200 North Raleigh St, Martinsburg, WV 25401
(304) 264-2111
West Virginia Forest Fire Laws
The periods of each year between March 1 and May 31, inclusive, and October 1 and December 31, inclusive, are hereby designated as Forest Fire Seasons.
No person shall during ANY such fire season, except between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. prevailing time, set on fire or cause to be set on fire any forest land, or any grass, grain, stubble, slash, debris, or other inflammable materials. Any fire set during this time shall be extinguished prior to 7:00 a.m. prevailing time. Such prohibition of fires between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. prevailing time shall not be construed to include (1) small fires set for the purpose of food preparation, or providing light or warmth around which all grass, brush, stubble, or other debris has been removed for a distance of ten feet from the fire, and (2) burning which may be conducted at any time when the ground surrounding the burning site is covered by one inch or more of snow.
No burning may be done unless all inflammable material has been removed from around the material to be burned as a safety strip for a distance which insures that the fire will not escape and which is not less than 10 feet. If fire escapes beyond the safety strip, the person responsible shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Before leaving ANY fire for ANY period of time, it must be totally extinguished.
Commercial permits to burn during the prohibited periods may be issued by the Division of Forestry.
All sawmills, power shovels, or an engine or machine capable of throwing sparks must be provided with an adequate spark arrestor if operating on land subject to fire by any cause.
All inflammable waste disposal areas on ANY land must annually have removed all grass, brush, debris and other inflammable material adjacent to such disposal areas to provide adequate protection to prevent the escape of fire to adjacent lands.
The State shall recover from the person or persons, firms or corporations whose negligence or whose violations of any provisions of this article cause ANY fire at ANY time on any grass or forest land the amount expended by the State.
A landowner must take all practicable means to suppress ANY fire on his property. If he fails to do so, the State shall collect from him the amounts expended by the State for such purposes.
WV Division of Forestry
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East Charleston, WV 25305-0180
(304) 558-2788/
FAX (304) 558-0143
