Camp Fire Ban

[Glacier]

Well it is only May 2nd, and the danger rating is still moderate. No reason to rush things.

[Frisk]

Well it is only May 2nd, and the danger rating is still moderate. No reason to rush things.

The fire danger sign near our house says the rating is high.

[Fancy]

Two signs on Westside Road had different ratings - low and moderate

[GordonH]

With this lack of rain add in hot sunny days will equal extreme very quickly.

[Frisk]

This is what it looks like in Fort McMurray right now. Different climate than what we experience here in the Okanagan, as fires in Alberta are common in May, but it still serves as a reminder.

[Noisy Boater]

Campfire ban should be in effect from April 1st to November 1st. There is no reason to start a fire in the woods. No reason whatsoever.

[atenbacon]

They should just ban camping, fishing, hiking and boating right now seeing as there is nobody that has any common sense or knowledge in how to have a proper camp fire. Might as well add motorbikes, atv's and driving on roadways as well, just in case a smoker is throwing their butts out.

At least that is what it sounds like when people talk about banning campfires.... and I find it pathetic! All I hear is how because there are people out there that "could" cause a problem they ignore the vast majority that grew up being taught how to ten a fire, how to camp and how to leave the area when they are done.

What happened to the good old days? Gone forever I guess, too many idiots to allow the majority (That are responsible ambassadors to leaving the site in better condition than when you got there) to have any fun. so may as well ban everything and everyone stay at home and watch television and be good zombies sitting on their computers.

I say no! What is missing is the enforcement. There was an actual presence of conservation officers at one time. What is also missing is education... Too many kids growing up with an X-Box instead of a box of matches, an axe and a shovel I wager.

Then again, maybe I'm just getting old and forgetful at all the fire bans over the years and how many times I have had to use my Propane campfire.. Oh wait! That would be three times in the last 20 years..

Stupid!

[Frisk]

If it isn't dry out the campfire ban doesn't need to be in effect. It's as simple as that. If conditions change then they will deal with restrictions accordingly.

[atenbacon]

I have nothing to do with the BC Forest service but can understand fully why there is a rampant lack of enforcement and education in the area of fire management. This report from 2010 I believe outlines the issue pretty clearly, although it goes further into the full aspect of what the forest service does (Or did). As a kid, I remember many times seeing a Forest service member speaking with my parents ensuring that all those in the camping area were being safe. It went the same for fishing.. Conservation officers were checking fishing limits and licenses. They are still around, but certainly not in the capacity of the past. Save a buck seems to be the order of the day.

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites ... ce_web.pdf

[davis123]

They should just ban camping, fishing, hiking and boating right now seeing as there is nobody that has any common sense or knowledge in how to have a proper camp fire. Might as well add motorbikes, atv's and driving on roadways as well, just in case a smoker is throwing their butts out.

At least that is what it sounds like when people talk about banning campfires.... and I find it pathetic! All I hear is how because there are people out there that "could" cause a problem they ignore the vast majority that grew up being taught how to ten a fire, how to camp and how to leave the area when they are done.

What happened to the good old days? Gone forever I guess, too many idiots to allow the majority (That are responsible ambassadors to leaving the site in better condition than when you got there) to have any fun. so may as well ban everything and everyone stay at home and watch television and be good zombies sitting on their computers.

I say no! What is missing is the enforcement. There was an actual presence of conservation officers at one time. What is also missing is education... Too many kids growing up with an X-Box instead of a box of matches, an axe and a shovel I wager.

Then again, maybe I'm just getting old and forgetful at all the fire bans over the years and how many times I have had to use my Propane campfire.. Oh wait! That would be three times in the last 20 years..

Stupid!

Absolutely agree with everything you said! I am an avid camper, and constantly driving the backroads, and I don't mean once or twice a year...for two years I slept at my house for 5 nights from May to October and the rest was up in the woods, in the past 15 years I have seen a conservation officer ONCE! Where is the enforcement?? Maybe if there was the presence of authority out there once in awhile, the yahoo's causing the problems would think twice about what they are doing.

This poll on castanet about a province wide fire ban is ridiculous, if they do this all they stop is the RESPONSIBLE people like myself, from having campfires, the idiots who burn down the forest are still going to light their bonfires, slam back beers and rip around, shooting guns while hammered, and abandoning their campfires...while the responsible ones sit down in the city or go up and use a propane fire...just ridiculous! Not too mention the area I am currently living in, kootenays, is a fire rating of very low/low.

Get hard on these idiots, get enforcement out there, throw the book at morons who toss cigarettes and THEN maybe you might help with the situation, putting up campfire bans and not enforcing anything is not going to help anything! Think of the amount spent on fighting human caused wildfires, I would think they could hire a few CO officers that patrol the areas and that would save on some wildfire costs.

[davis123]

Campfire ban should be in effect from April 1st to November 1st. There is no reason to start a fire in the woods. No reason whatsoever.

Sure, there is no reason to have a campfire, not if you're a city slicker who never leaves the pavement at least. But there are some people who very much enjoy camping, like myself, who are responsible, and that is completely unfair to the people who follow the rules and take it very seriously. You have no idea how much mess and garbage is cleaned up by people like myself when we are out there, you put a ban on all campfires and that means the responsible people are no longer having campfires..but do you think the idiots who never put their fire out are going to listen to a campfire ban? No, they are not, they are going to continue to do what they always do, be idiots!

Enforcement is what is needed. Not more stupid laws that only penalize the innocent, responsible people.

[Woodenhead]

Ban everything. Absolutely everything. I'd even ban bans.

[Glacier]

Ban everything. Absolutely everything. I'd even ban bans.

The funny thing is, the fewer fires man creates, the more alarm people make about how we need to ban fires because human caused fires are going through the roof. In reality, the data shows the opposite...

[atenbacon]

As a percentage sure sounds reassuring, at least it does until you look at the number of fires that took place...

There have been 1,390 wildfires in B.C. this season, including 428 that were human-caused, BC Wildfire Service’s chief fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek said."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/bri ... e25820863/

That's 428 human caused fires in 2015?! **That article was written before the final tally of 617 Human caused fires in 2015.... 617!! That is beyond ridiculous! And certainly cements (for me at least) the notion that enforcement and education is desperately lacking.

Here is the history in numbers since 2005 (Maybe someone can find numbers that go back further? I am interested to see if there is a correlation in the cutting back of Forestry Service employees. : http://bcwildfire.ca/history/average.htm

[Glacier]

The trend is downwards. 617 is below average. BTW, one of the most destructive fires from last summer in which my friends lost their home was arson. Good luck banning that.