Burning season opened on Jan. 15 and, for the first time, obtaining a burning permit comes with a price tag. The decision was made at a Board of Selectmen meeting in December. The impetus behind the $10 dollar fee was to obtain funding for the Fire Department's SAFE Program.

SAFE, an acronym for Student Awareness of Fire Education, has been used by the Harvard Fire Department for the past 15 years to educate local school children about how to protect themselves against fire. In the past, Harvard fire fighters went into the classrooms on a regular basis. Last year, they were unable to fill all the requests for the program and had to substantially cut visits to Harvard schools.

According to state estimates, fire deaths have decreased over 66 percent since the inception of SAFE, and fire officials were concerned that they could not continue to work with local children at the same level as they had in the past.

"I proposed the burn permit fee to offset expenses for the SAFE program," said Harvard Fire Department Chief Rick Sicard. "Right now we get no money for funding. The permit fees will allow us to get back into the schools. Last year, we didn't get into any of the preschools and were only able to visit grades one to four at [Hildreth] Elementary School."

When the suggestion to impose a fee for burn permits first came before Selectmen, it encountered some opposition. Some felt that it was unfair to residents who had large amounts of brush to dispose of due to the freak storm experienced in October.

"Originally, I voted against the burn permit fee," said Selectman Ron Ricci. "I felt that there were already too many fees and surcharges. Subsequently, [Selectman] Peter Warren asked me to reconsider because prior budget cuts had affected the SAFE program. Despite my personal feelings, I ended up supporting the fee which is to be used for the SAFE program. The funds will be available this year."

For next year, Ricci said, he has asked the town administrator and fire chief to request funding for the SAFE program as a Town Meeting warrant article instead of a fee.

Open burning season runs from Jan. 15 to May 1. Permits are available for $10 from the Town Hall Monday through Thursday and at the Harvard Fire Department Friday through Sunday, or apply online at www.harvard.ma.us/Pages/HarvardMA_Fire/burn.

Any questions on open burning should be directed to Chief Rick Sicard (rsicard@harvard.ma.us) or 978-456-3648.