Drayton Valley/Brazeau County Fire Services says it has been experiencing an increase in calls and concerns from the public related to burning brush piles in the area.
Officials say they understand everyone’s concerns and heightened awareness when they see this kind of activity happening and would like to provide some information to help ease concerns.
According to the Province, the area is currently under a No Fire Ban status, which means outdoor burning is allowed, only with a fire permit or in an approved fire pit or burning appliance.
Officials say the following fires are permitted:
- Outdoor burning is permitted with an approved fire permit.
- Internal household fire places
- Incinerators (for farm and acreage use)
- Burn barrel (steel/metal drum no larger than 45 gallons- for Agriculture lands)
- Solid Fuel barbecues (charcoal briquettes)
- Bylaw compliant backyard and camping fires
- Fires contained within approved facilities and appliances in designed camping and recreational areas
- Portable propane fire pits and appliances
According to officials, different sectors including industry, business, agriculture, and the public burn brush, grass and unharvested crops for a number of reasons. The Province says these activities can be done safely with proper preparation and management and by obtaining the appropriate permits. In the winter months, officials say they see an increase in demand for burning permit requests as cooler temperatures and snow cover create better conditions to safely manage brush pile burns while being able to quickly extinguish and control sparks that may extend outside of the prep area.
Brazeau County says it has a year-round permitting process. The County says this allows the Fire Department to assess the burn application, educate applicants on safe burning practices, and track locations of permitted burns to reduce potential call-outs to these locations. Officials with the Fire Department say if they know there is a permitted burn happening and they receive a call from a concerned member of the public, they can call the property owner or drive out to the location to check on the situation rather than deploying personnel and equipment to the site. They say this ensures that resources are ready to respond to other calls that come in and reduces operational costs for the Fire Department.
Residents who have questions or would like to obtain a burning permit are being asked to call the office at 780-514-2216 or go to www.brazeau.ab.ca to submit an online permit application.
Comments