SPRINGDALE — Outdoor burning is popular in the city, even though the city has required residents to get permits in order to do so since March 15.

About 350 permits have been issued since the requirement began, said Ed Stith, fire marshal. The volume surprised department members, said Kevin McDonald, assistant chief.

“I never thought there would be that many,” McDonald said. “We had no way of tracking the numbers before.”

Mike Irwin, fire chief, suggested the change.

Previously, the Fire Department kept a list of controlled fires on a chalkboard at Station 1, McDonald said. A new list was started each day.

Addresses were chalked on the list as those wanting to burn called the station, McDonald said. When a fire was reported, a dispatcher would have to ask someone in Station 1 to check the list to see if it was actually a controlled burn, he said.

The new system requires those wanting a permit to go to Station 1, at 417 Holcomb St., where they receive a list of items they cannot burn and sign for the permit. Applications for additional burn permits for a person at the same address can be made for a year simply by calling 479-751-4510, Stith said.

The reason people must go the station initially is to educate them on what can and cannot be burned, Irwin said.

“People would say they didn’t know,” Irwin said. “Now we have a paper they signed that has the requirements on it.”

Open burning can only occur between dawn and dusk on days with a wind of less than 15 mph, according to information on a burn permit. The fire must be at least 50 feet from a combustible structure with an attendant and a water source nearby at all times.

Permits are good for two weeks. On the day of the fire, the permit holder should call the Springdale dispatch center at 479-751-4542 to report the burn.

Recreational fires do not need a permit, Stith said. Recreational fires include those for cooking and gatherings, such as Scout camp-outs, Stith said.

“If your kids are camping out in the backyard, and you have the space to be legal, we have no problem with a camp fire,” Stith said.

Also, overnight, buried cooking fires, such as a pig roast, are legal, Stith said.

“We would like for you to call to let us know, but you don’t need a permit,” Stith said.

While permits have been issued at a rate of nearly six a day, some people still don’t know they need one. Walt Laster, who lives on the east side of Springdale on Julio Road, said he tries to obey city regulations.

“People out here don’t know what to do,” Laster said. “We don’t understand it. Why do I have to get another permit after two weeks?”

“If you haven’t used the permit in two weeks, you can call and renew it,” said Alice Johnson, the clerk who handles most of the applications. “You don’t have to come down again.”