ACADIANA, La. (KLFY)– Fire chiefs across Acadiana came together Friday to discuss the ongoing statewide burn ban, as well as adjustments needed to improve their fire rating.

Scott Fire Chief Chad Sonnier said, though the area has gotten rain, the ground is still very dry.

“We showed departments how to better improve their score,” Sonnier said. “Today, we also discussed why we had all the chiefs together, the burn ban, and we were all relieved that they had some significant amount of rain yesterday, but we still want to remind people that it’s still dry.”

Sonnier said the departments learned what they can do to better protect the community.

“We kind of bounced ideas off of each other as well as learn from the expert that’s giving the class,” Sonnier said. “He taught us how we can improve the departments. We can see if we can improve it and keep a safer community for those we protect.”

Lafayette Fire Chief Robert Benoit said it is crucial that everyone follows the rules of the ban due to the drought.

“Right now, it’s critical that the burn ban stays enforced because of the drought,” Benoit said. “We’ve seen the destruction that took place in Louisiana over the past several months because of the heat with lack of water. If we have a fire that means we’ve gotta stop doing what we’re doing to take care of other people’s needs to go out there and dump water on the fire unnecessarily.”

Both officers want to remind everyone to stay safe and adhere to the restrictions of the statewide burn ban.