Burning Information
(Updated 07 Jan 2012)
Burning is permitted when venting index is 55 or more
The "venting index" put out by the Forestry lets you know if the venting of air is good or poor. Thus it is best, of course, to burn when the venting index is fair to good. You can check out the venting index by going to this site: Venting Index. If you put the cursor "hand" on the coloured dots, the dot for the Okanagan will bring up our venting index. At this time, the Venting Index must be 55 or more for burning.
KAMLOOPS - Effective at 12 noon on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, all open fires will be permitted within the Kamloops Fire Centre due to a decreased risk of wildfires.
Within the Kamloops Fire Centre, the public will be permitted to:
* Burn waste, slash or other material.
* Burn stubble or grass.
* Use fireworks or burning barrels of any size or description.
The rescinding of the restrictions applies to all BC Parks, Crown and private lands, but does not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by a fire department. Please check with civic authorities for any restrictions before lighting a fire.
Anyone considering Category 2 or 3 fires must comply with the Ministry of Environment's Waste Management Act and open burning smoke control regulation. For more information, go to:
www.bcairquality.caCategory 3 fires require a burn registration number, which may be obtained by calling
1 888 797-1717. Individuals who fail to meet these requirements may be subject to fines.
Please follow these tips on using fire safely:
* Keep fire sites away from buildings, trees and other combustible materials.
* Do not burn during windy conditions.
* Have adequate people, water and hand tools available to prevent the fire from escaping.
* Never leave a fire unattended.
The onus is on each individual to ensure safe, responsible burning, as outlined by the Wildfire Act and regulations. Those found to have been responsible for an escaped fire may be liable for fire suppression costs and damages.
If you see smoke or flames, call *5555 on your cell phone or toll-free to 1 800 663-5555.
Follow the latest wildfire news -
* On Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/#!/BCGovFireInfo* On Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo
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New Highways Act Regulations Information
The New Highways Act Regulation took effect June 1st, 2009, and if you are not aware of it, I have included a link below. The new law in B.C. applies to anyone driving who comes upon a scene of an incident or an emergency vehicle travelling to or from a scene, and these changes were made to protect the safety of responders and citizens alike. In a nutshell, it requires drivers to
slow down and move over when passing parked emergency vehicles that have their lights flashing, and failure to do so will result in a fine and penalty points.
Please help keep our homes safe and respect the judgment of our fire officials.
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