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See what is and isn’t allowed when it comes to fire safety

Off road restrictions in place in time for long weekend
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Deanna Rich and her husband have hung numerous signs near their property reminding visitors and residents of fire danger in the area. Submitted photo.

With the long weekend ahead and residents back in the South Cariboo, many are concerned over activities that could spark fires.

The Free Press spoke with officials for their recommendations on a number of potentially hazardous activities.

Lawn mowing:

While the District of 100 Mile House has not released a formal statement on lawn mowing, Fire Chief Roger Hollander says they are treating it with a “common sense approach.”

“The way we’re looking at it, if it’s green and they have lots of water and it’s a watered lawn and it’s short, those are all risk reducing activities, which is fine,” he says.

“But, the long dead grass and that sort of thing would be more of a concern because it’s all dried out and of course a spark could come off that.”

Fire Information Officer Heather Rice says that it depends on where you are when it comes to mowing your lawn safely.

“If you are in suburbia 100 Mile House and you are not surrounded by brush and that kind of thing, then go ahead,” she says. “If you are in a rural setting then I would suggest you certainly need to be more careful.

“What I would suggest though is always having some water and a shovel on hand with this kind of high fire activity so that if a small spark would happen and you all of a sudden do start a small fire, you are able to action that immediately with a bucket or some water and have your hose on right away,” she says.

“If you feel you would like to mow your lawn but want to be safe about it, just make sure the garden hose is ready and maybe even have someone watching what you are doing so if they see something they can react immediately.”

ATV/Off-road use:

The use of off-road vehicles for recreational purposes on Crown land has been prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre, Kamloops Fire Centre and Southeast Fire Centre. Additionally, the ban includes on-highway vehicles used off of defined road surfaces.

“This step is being taken to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety,” says a release issued by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

“The operation of any off-road vehicles in these regions during the current wildfire situation creates a potential wildfire risk,” says the release.

Fires can be sparked either from metal contacting rock or a hot piece of metal, like a tailpipe, contacting the grass.

“The tailpipes can get very hot and cause fires to start if they are in contact with any sort of small fuel such as dried grass,” says Natasha Broznitsky, information officer for the Cariboo Fire Centre.

“We generally tell people don’t park your vehicle in dried grass but now we are blanketly prohibiting them,” she says.

The prohibition does not apply to private properties, national parks, emergency responders or agriculture or commercial/industrial users who operate vehicles for farming, emergency response or business purposes.

Those found in violation of the band may be issued a ticket in the amount of $767.

Haying:

While haying does not fall under the jurisdiction of BC Wildfire, and agriculture workers are able to use off road equipment, Broznitsky says that theoretically, if hay fields are cut when they are green there isn’t an inherent risk in that.

“No matter what you are doing, we are basically asking that you please take care and if you do see a fire start if you are doing some sort of agricultural activity, if you have the means to try and put it out you should,” she says.

Hiking/Camping

All recreation sites and trails in the Cariboo Fire Centre have been closed “in an effort to protect public safety” since July 13.

Recreationalists are also encouraged to avoid travelling in the backcountry in areas of active wildfires or where the fire danger rating is high to extreme, according to the release by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations release,

While not all BC Parks in the Cariboo are closed, many of them are. A full list of recreation sites that are closed are available here: www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca. A full list of BC Parks that are closed is available here: www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks.

“In general, someone enjoying the backcountry or hiking in some way that is not prohibited, we urge them to use common sense, to be extremely cautious and to take care with anything that could possibly start a fire because the fire danger ratings are largely extreme throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre with some pockets of high,” says Broznitsky.

Lake use:

Boaters, fishermen and swimmers are welcome to use lakes, provided that lake is not under another restriction, says Broznitsky.

“If the lake is not within an area under an evacuation order by a local government such as the regional districts, or First Nation local governments, and if the area is not in a BC Provincial Park that is currently closed or within a BC Trails and Recreation site that is currently closed, if the lake is some independent lake in the Cariboo Fire Centre that the person is not accessing with an off road vehicle, people are permitted to use lakes,” she says. “There is nothing restricting that.”

If a fire breaks out nearby, or aircraft are using the lake to get water, Broznitsky asks that those nearby take care.

“We do ask that if they see firefighting aircraft using lakes for fire suppression areas, they stay well away from the aircraft because we can’t work in areas where people are not giving aircraft enough room,” she says.

In this case, boaters are asked to clear off to the edge of the lake.

Campfire ban:

Campfire bans are in place throughout the province.

Specifically, this includes lighting a fire of any size; the burning of stubble or grass; the use of tiki torches or fireworks; the use of sky lanterns, burning barrels or burning cages; the use of exploding targets; and the use of air curtain/forced air burners.

The prohibitions do not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes or to a portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuels, provided the flame is less than 15 cm high.

Those found with a campfire may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail.

Related: Tip line set up to aid Elephant Hill wildfire investigation

Generally, 100 Mile House Fire Rescue reminds residents to be vigilant and cautious given the fire season.

“Residents are asked to refrain from high-risk activities such as using spark producing power tools and machines, mechanical land clearing, wood chipping and of course the prohibited discarding of smoking material near combustibles,” said Hollander in a release.

“Cleaning up loose and unsightly combustibles, glass or mirrors and any potential ignition sources will also help prevent fires on private properties. Your co-operation is appreciated.”

Hollander says that anyone with any questions about fire safety are welcome to call the fire hall at 250-395-2152.

If a wildfire is caused or contributed to due to the contravention of one of the bans, such as ATV use or campfire use, Broznitsky says the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

To report a wildfire or an open burning violation, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.