Get tough on fire starters

[ferri]

it sounds like she has the right idea! :)

"That's throwing a cigarette out the window, sparking your car with a hot muffler on dry grass, leaving a campfire burning, sparks from a chainsaw. All of those things ... I think we need to think about stiffer penalties for people," said Clark.

"People need to think hard about their behaviour and the impact it would have had. Imagine if there had been 400 fewer fires this year. How much more timber would we have saved, how many more jobs would we have saved, how many people would have gone without having their homes threatened."

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#144622

there was a fire started outside of Spokane, Washington the other day by a man mowing his lawn. when he went along the edge of the lawn he hit a horseshoe that was in the tall grass in the neighboring field, it of course threw a spark or two and 6 acres of grass burned. when it's this dry just about anything can start a fire.

[Merry]

The problem is that sounds like a genuine accident. If higher fines are supposed to encourage more responsible behaviour, I'm not sure how it would have worked in this particular incident. After all, the guy had no way of knowing there was a horse shoe in the long grass.

That said, I've often observed people in provincial campgrounds going to bed and leaving their fires burning. We always put ours out with a couple of kettle fulls of water; not sure why so many others don't bother, but I'd like to see camp staff start handing out some warnings.

I know there's a fire ban on right now, but I'm talking about the times when fires are allowed.

[ferri]

for sure the lawn mower one was an accident. i've seen a few fires started by hot exhaust systems too. it's almost like maybe, just maybe they need to start teaching fire prevention in school again. :) we had a few years of Smokey Bear preaching at us and it really did stick.

[Star Light]

Year after year Politicians such as Clark pay lip service to a media meet & greet. She's said "I think we need to think about stiffer penalties". *Light Bulb Moment*, stop the thinking & reviewing & if this Province is going to get tough on fire starters.....do it now!!!

[ferri]

i commented on a news article on facebook not long ago when they were saying they were going to fine people $173.00 for flicking a butt out the window. i said, "They should make it $500.00 like it is in Washington state. maybe that's why it rarely happens here." actually $500.00 is the lowest you can be fined. lol

[Star Light]

This is Australia, they've got the right idea re: higher penalties.

During a Total Fire Ban (TFB), any person who disposes of burning tobacco, or a burning cigarette, cigar or match in circumstances that is likely to set fire to the bush; including by throwing it from a vehicle, could face a fine of $25,000 and/or 12 months in jail.

[lesliepaul]

Throwing a butt out in the DRY forest.....yes, impose fines. Pouring rain when discarded poses no risk other than littering. Chance of a fire from a butt on Bernard......no. People who make these broad stroke comments about huge fines for everything should open their eyes that all levels of government love it when these so called suggestions come from the public. What government will do (because they can't help themselves) is turn it into a cash cow. Just look at the Civil Forfeiture program.......everything but the true criminals. Give the government an inch when it involves extorting cash and they will take a mile......proven time and time again.

[Drip_Torch]

Premier Christy Clark said;
"People need to think hard about their behaviour and the impact it would have had. Imagine if there had been 400 fewer fires this year. How much more timber would we have saved, how many more jobs would we have saved, how many people would have gone without having their homes threatened."

Okay, and I have no problem with that. There would have been 891 fires to date and Shelter Cove would still be burning right now.

Now I've got one for you...

Imagine if we all thought hard about our behaviour and looked at our communities as fundamentally vulnerable to fire.

Imagine if we hardened those communities and made sure there was adequate local resources, as well as contingency resources available. Imagine if Wildfire Management could concentrate on all, 1291 fires to date, without the distraction of communities that are excessively vulnerable to fire.

It would be a huge commitment, but one that would pay peace-of-mind dividends for many generations to come.

[Silverstarqueen]

I live in a semi-rural neighborhood. I was walking along the roadside outside my fence and saw 11 cigarette butts randomly discarded just along my property alone. Regardless of whether it's dry or raining, why should the rest of us put up with these filthy (and sometimes very dangerous) garbage. If you are grown up enough to smoke, you are grown up enough to put your own butts in your ashtray.

[Graham Adder]

The charge and penalty for tossing a butt on the ground should be the same as arson.
If you smoke, you know that what you are holding is fuel and fire. A tossed butt is able to stay lit and smoulder for several minutes.
If you know that what you are tossing out the window is fire and fuel, and you know that what you are tossing it into is an abundant fuel source, then what you know, is that you are potentially lighting a fire on the roadside or elsewhere.
Is it that much different than tossing a Molotov Cocktail?

Perhaps if these self absorbed losers were to get some real punishment for thoughtlessly tossing their filth, we'd see results.
I'm starting to see more benefits to the Russian craze of in-car dash mounted cameras recording everything out the front window than just busting insurance scammers. I'd LOVE to turn in some butt tossing scumwads.

[JBX]

Shoot them, in town square. We as a society need to stop living in a bubble wrapped life where everybody gets a billion chances to screw up life for everybody else.

[Caree]

http://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/ ... -fire-risk
(above article from Penticton has some good advice, August 18 2015)

[voice of reason]

rain or shine cigarette butts shouldnt be thrown on the ground.there is nothing else in the world that is socially accepted to be thrown on the ground and left there as litter so why should butts be any different?its not uncommon to see at the mailbox or at a stop sign where someone has emptied their entire ashtray on the ground.

[mr.bandaid]

Add a fire fighting tax to a pack of cigarettes. I know not everyone who smokes is as inconsiderate as those who flick their butts out the windows but then I have never been in an at fault accident either but my car insurance seems to rise every year. So because I drive I pay for those who drive badly, because you smoke you can pay for those who smoke badly ( if you get my drift).

[ifwisheswerehorses]

Add a fire fighting tax to a pack of cigarettes. I know not everyone who smokes is as inconsiderate as those who flick their butts out the windows but then I have never been in an at fault accident either but my car insurance seems to rise every year. So because I drive I pay for those who drive badly, because you smoke you can pay for those who smoke badly ( if you get my drift).

On that note, they should go around to all campsites provincial or not and collect a fee from all campers since some not all but enough are ignoring the campfire bans as well as the rules for having one when allowed.