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County Fire Department issues Open-Air Fire Ban
By Casandra Turnbull
The entire county is under an open-air fire ban, effective June 8th
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The County of Brant Fire Department issued the notice online Thursday in response to extremely dry weather conditions for the last few weeks. “In an effort to keep those in our community safe, open-air burning is not permitted in the County of Brant until further notice,” said Fire Chief Darren Watson.
Open air burning includes brush pile burns, campfires, burn barrels, open fireplace/chimneys and other fires set in open air
Once a fire ban is declared, it is illegal to set a fire for any purpose within the County of Brant. Charges will be laid if attendance is required, according to the media release.
“The County of Brant’s volunteer Firefighters provide lifesaving support in our community, and we ask that residents be considerate of this at this time,” said Chief Watson. “We are asking everyone to be responsible and use their best judgment while the fire ban is in place ”
Firefighters are also asking people to remain cautious when outdoors – keep an eye on your propane and gas equipment carefully, be careful where you ash your cigarette and especially where you discard it and just be vigilant around potential flames. The Fire Department will continue to monitor the long-range forecast, which must include significant amounts of precipitation, before they can lift the ban.
This news comes after days of speculation and at a time when people are most alert because of more than a hundred and sixty wildfires burning across
Northern Ontario and Quebec (as of press deadline). It doesn’t take much for a fire to burn out of control and engulf anything in its path Just this week, on June 6th Paris Station Firefighters responded to a call on Governor’s Road. A stolen vehicle was on fire in a farmer’s field. Luckily firefighters reacted quickly and contained the blaze. The OPP is handling the investigation.
So, how dry does it have to be before a ban is put into effect? Fire Prevention Officer Tom Waldschmidt explains that the lack of precipitation is key. An indicator of how serious the draught is usually comes from the agricultural sector.
“A tell-tale sign is when farmers are turning fields up and the amount of dust that comes up because there is no moisture in the ground, no substantial rain,” said Waldschmidt. Many local farmers have labelled this spring as one of the driest on record. Without rain in the last couple of weeks, and no significant amount soon, the decision to put the ban in place was logical. The ban applies to the obvious things – no backyard fires, no industrial or commercial burning, no fireworks – but also day-today habits that aren’t that obvious.
“If you are a smoker please do not discard cigarettes out of the window,” reminds Waldschmidt, who said the Paris station has responded to three fire calls on Rest Acres Road recently because of cigarette butts tossed from vehicles, and landing in flower beds packed with mulch and woodchips.
For more information or questions about the fire ban, contact the County of Brant Fire Department at 519.442.4500