Forests
Fall is the perfect time for B.C. homeowners to reduce wildfire threats to their property by completing a FireSmart assessment and removing flammable debris from their yards.
The Home Owners FireSmart Manual offers lots of advice on limiting the risk of fire damage to homes, businesses and other privately owned land. A copy of the manual (including a FireSmart assessment checklist) is available online at: http://www.embc.gov.bc.ca/ofc/interface/pdf/homeowner-firesmart.pdf
People living in or near a wildland-urban interface area can reduce wildfire threats by properly maintaining the three "priority zones" described in the FireSmart assessment checklist.
Homeowners should remove any accumulated fuel from an area 10 metres wide all around the home (Priority Zone 1). This includes dead grass, leaves, brush, wood debris and overhanging branches.
The second priority zone (10 to 30 metres away from the building) can be made more fire-resistant by pruning or removing trees and shrubs. In the third priority zone (30 to 100 metres away from the building), homeowners should thin trees and shrubs so if a wildfire occurs, it will be a lower-intensity fire. Reducing the amount of flammable material around homes also makes it safer and easier for firefighters to access these areas.
The FireSmart Wildfire Hazard Online Assessment is available at: https://glfc72.cfsnet.nfis.org/mapserver/fire/firesmart/v1/public_html/index.php
Homeowners should also consider using landscaping that is fire-resistant. The FireSmart Guide to Landscaping is available online at: https://www.firesmartcanada.ca/images/uploads/resources/FireSmart-Guide-to-Lanscaping.pdf
More information about the FireSmart program is available at:
To report a wildfire, non-compliant open burning or unattended campfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.
For the latest information on current wildfire activity, conditions and restrictions, visit the Wildfire Management Branch website: www.bcwildfire.ca
You can follow the latest wildfire news:
- on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
- on Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo
A backgrounder on safe open burning practices follows.
Media Contacts:
Greig Bethel
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Cariboo Fire Centre
250 989-2665
Greig.Bethel@gov.bc.ca
Brennan Clarke
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261
BACKGROUNDER
FireSmart tips for safe open burning in fall and winter
Now that cooler temperatures have arrived, people living in the Cariboo Fire Centre may be thinking about burning piles of branches, grass or brush that have accumulated over the summer months. Waiting until late fall or early winter can make pile burning safer and more manageable.
One of the goals of the FireSmart Canada program is to safely dispose of this type of debris on privately owned property. Other options such as composting or chipping should also be considered, but burning can be appropriate and cost-effective if the conditions are right.
A Category 2 open fire is a backyard or industrial open fire (excluding campfires) that:
- burns debris in a pile no larger than two metres high and three metres wide (you may not burn more than two piles at one time).
- burns grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares (2,000 square metres).
Step-by-step instructions:
1. Read about backyard and industrial burning: http://bcwildfire.ca/Restrictions/BackyardBurning.pdf
2. Gather and pile brush or wood debris in an open area away from overhanging branches.
During the fall, cover the pile with a tarp to keep it dry. Keep the pile covered for at least a few weeks before you burn it.
3. Before lighting the fire, check if any burning prohibitions are in place by visiting www.bcwildfire.ca
4. Also check with local authorities for any other burning restrictions before lighting a fire.
5. Review and comply with the Environmental Management Act and the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation: http://www.bcairquality.ca/index.html
6. Burning should not be done if local air flow patterns will cause the smoke to negatively affect nearby communities or residences. For information on the open burning smoke control regulation, visit: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/bcairquality/reports/agttobsc.html
7. Always check local venting conditions before conducting an open burn. If conditions are rated "poor" or "fair", open burning is restricted. The venting index can be found at: http://www.bcairquality.ca/readings/ventilation-index.html
8. Ideally, burn after a rainfall or when there is snow on the ground.
9. Construct a fuel break around the fire or wet down the perimeter of the burn area before igniting the fire.
10. Make sure that you have enough people, water and hand tools available to control and fully extinguish the fire.
11. When you are ready to burn, light the fire so it will burn quickly (a hot and clean-burning fire, not a smouldering fire).
12. Never leave the fire unattended. Make sure that whoever is monitoring the fire has a hand tool to ensure that the fire does not escape.
13. As the pile burns down, use a rake or shovel to move any unburned material toward the centre of the fire. This will keep the heat concentrated and maximize the amount of material consumed by the fire.
14. Completely extinguish the fire when burning is complete. Make sure that the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the burn site.
If you wish to light a Category 3 (Industrial/Resource Management) open fire, you must obtain a burn registration number ahead of time by calling 1 800 797-1717. A Category 3 fire is a fire that burns:
- piled debris more than two metres high and three metres wide;
- more than two piles at a time; or
- grass over an area larger than 0.2 hectares (2,000 square metres)
More information about Category 3 burning is available online at: http://bcwildfire.ca/Restrictions/ResourceMgmt.pdf
For information about air quality, including smoke forecasts for Western Canada, visit the BC Air Quality website at www.bcairquality.ca/bluesky/west/index.html
Media Contacts:
Greig Bethel
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Cariboo Fire Centre
250 989-2665
Greig.Bethel@gov.bc.ca
Brennan Clarke
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261
