nwfc external newsletter july 2016
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Summer has officially begun and with it the northwest has had some hot, sunny
weather. As many of us get outside to enjoy the great outdoors, make sure to
stay aware of the fire danger ra ng and burning regula ons in your area. There
are currently no open burning or campfire restric ons in the Northwest Fire
Centre—which stretches from the north coast to just west of Endako and from
the Yukon border south to Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. However, with high
hazard ra ngs across the northwest it’s very important to be cau ous with
burning and outdoor ac vi es.
With lightning recently passing through the area, the NWFC is responding to a
number of new fires. The fire east of Tchesinkut Lake discovered on June 26 was
16 hectares and is now 100 percent contained. Six fires were discovered on June
28 across the region and are being ac oned by crews. Thank you to everyone
who reported these fires. The rapid detec on of fires is a crucial part of effec ve
fire suppression. As more lightning fires may become visible over the next few
days, please call 1‐800‐663‐5555 or *5555 on a cellphone if you see smoke.
For more informa on about current fires, updated condi ons or fire regula ons
visit bcwildfire.ca.
NWFC Responding to Lightning Fires
2016.06.29
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Wild irePrevention 2
OpenFireRegulations 3
WeatherMaps 4
WeatherIndices 5
RestrictionsandContacts 6
TheStoryofSmokeyBear 7
SmokeyColouringSheets 7‐8
NWFC STATS
SinceApril1,2016
Total iresinNWFC:40
Human‐caused:32
Lightning‐caused:8
2015atthistime
Total iresinNWFC:44
Human‐caused:26
Lightning‐caused:18
ProvincialStats
Total iresinBC:427
Human‐caused:289
Lightning‐caused:78
Other:60
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NorthwestFireCentre
P A G E 2
Wildfire Preven on for Outdoor Recrea onalists Preven on means stopping wildfires before they start. Campfires, discarded cigare e bu s, hot ex‐haust pipes in contact with dry grass and vegeta on, power tools (such as chainsaws), Tiki torches and even discarded glass can all ignite a wildfire. It is important to exercise cau on when outdoors and when using tools and handling, storing and dispos‐ing of materials and fuels.
Campfires
Campfires are a fun addi on to any camping trip. To prevent your campfire from turning into a wildfire be sure to;
Check current campfire restric ons for your area
Select your campfire loca on carefully
Remove all leaves, twigs and other flammable ma‐terial from around your campfire
Never have a campfire when it’s windy
Choose a proper fire pit or make a ring of rocks at least three metres from trees, shrubs, structures and debris
Do not leave a campfire una ended for ANY amount of me
Keep a bucket of at least eight litres of water close by the fire at all mes, and/or a hand tool (such as a shovel) to ex nguish the fire properly
Completely ex nguish your campfire before you go to sleep or leave the area for any period of me. To ex nguish your campfire, pour plenty of water on the fire and surrounding area, dousing the site of the campfire thoroughly. S r the campfire un l there are no embers and carefully check that the ashes are cool to the touch.
Other Fire Preven on Considera ons
Do not discard smoking materials from vehicles. Al‐ways use interior ashtrays. Motorized vehicles including All‐Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and dirt bikes produce a significant amount of heat from their exhaust systems. This heat can be enough to spark a wildfire. Avoid opera ng any mo‐torized vehicle in tall grass and vegeta on when the weather is hot and dry.
Bans and Restric ons
Depending on current and an cipated weather condi‐ons as well as exis ng fire ac vity, the BC Wildfire
Service may implement bans and prohibi ons that restrict the use of open fire (including campfires) as well as items such as fireworks, Tiki torches, burn bar‐rels, sky lanterns, and other poten al fire‐star ng equipment. These prohibi ons are put in on a region‐al basis, and affect all Crown and private land not un‐der the jurisdic on of a local authority (such as a mu‐nicipality or First Na on).
If you are within the jurisdic on of a fire department
or local authority, contact them before having any
manner of open fire.
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P A G E 4
Precipita on
Temperature Rela ve Humidity
These maps are for informa onal purposes only and should not be used to make opera onal decisions.
Fire Danger Ra ng
These maps are current for Wednesday, June 28, 2016 at 1200 PST.
For the most recent weather maps, please see www.bcwildfire.ca/weather
P A G E 5
Northwest Fire Centre Indices
Validasof12:00Wednesday,June29,2016
Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC)
This code rates the moisture content of cured fine fuels and forest floor li er. It is an indicator of how easily fine fuels will ignite and burn.
Drought Code (DC)
This is a numerical ra ng of the average moisture content of compact, deep organic layers. It is a useful code for indica ng the effects of seasonal drought on forest fuels, and the amount of smouldering that could occur in large logs and deep duff layers.
Duff Moisture Code (DC)
A code that rates the average moisture content of loosely compacted organic layers found at a moderate depth. It indicates fuel consump on in medium‐sized woody material and in moderate duff layers.
The Danger Class Report provides both forecasted and es mated Fire Danger Ra ng (FDR) values for specific weather sta ons. Danger Class and FDR are equivalent, where 1 and 2 Danger Class equal “low” FDR, 3 equals “moderate”, 4 is “high”, and 5 equals “extreme”.
Different types of codes are used to describe the dryness of forest fuel classes on a given day. These codes are
calculated from weather data gathered by weather sta ons situated throughout the province.
These codes are part of the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Ra ng System, which provides a numeric, uniform method of
ra ng fire danger. Examples of some of the codes are as follows:
P A G E 6
There are currently no prohibi ons in the Northwest Fire Centre
ImportantNumbers
Report a wildfire *5555 on a cell or 1 800 663 5555
Wildfire Informa on Line 1 888 3FOREST
Burn Registra on Line 1 888 797 1717
Northwest Fire Informa on Officer 1 250 847 6639
Wantmoreinformation?Visitourwebsiteatbcwild ire.ca
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Did you know?
Smokey Bear Colouring Sheets
SmokeyBearwasalittleorphanedbearcubthatgotcaughtinawild ireintheCapitanMountainsofNewMexicoin1950.Heclimbedupatreethatcaughtonireandhesufferedburns.A irecrewfoundhimandhewas lowntoSantaFetohavehisburnstreated.Oncethemediafoundoutabouttheorphanedbearcub,eve‐ryonewantedtoknowhowhewasdoing!Smokeybe‐cameasymbolofconservationandwild irepreventionandlivedouthislifeattheNationalZooinWashington,DC.In1952,apopularsongwaswrittenbyNelsonandRollinswhoadded“the”toSmokey’snametomaintaintherhythm,however,Smokey’snameneverchanged.
StoryofSmokey.(2016).Smokeybear.com.Retrievedfromhttps://smokeybear.com/en/smokeys‐history/story‐of‐smokey
Detachandtakehome! B C W I L D F I R E S E R V I C E
More Colouring
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