If you are recreating in the Upper Squamish Valley this long weekend, you will encounter the Wildfire Prevention Ambassador Program.
The educational program sees Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Land Guardians, BC Wildfire Service and Natural Resource officers at an information kiosk at the entrance to the Upper Squamish Valley Forest Service Road.
This joint effort aims to prevent wildfires in the valley and promote respectful recreation.
"Extremely dry forest fuels and the fire risk is very serious. New fires will start easily, spread rapidly, and challenge fire suppression efforts. General forest activities may be restricted, including open burning, industrial activities and campfires," reads the Government of BC fire danger site.
The kiosk is operating during the long weekends this summer.
“We want to focus on prevention of human-caused wildfires (following prohibitions), accurate sources of information (the BCWS app and online map) and encouraging the public to report wildfires,” said Kimberly Kelly, an information officer with the BC Wildfire Service.
Kelly provided the key points the agencies want visitors to know:
- On July 17, at noon, the BC Wildfire Service implemented a campfire (Category One) ban to help reduce the potential for human-caused wildfires throughout the Coastal Fire Centre—except for Haida Gwaii and the Bella Coola area, which recently received rain and where risk is lower overall.
- Enacting a campfire prohibition is one tool to help reduce human-caused wildfires, particularly as we approach the time of year when we see more lightning-caused fires, which we can’t really do anything to proactively prevent. Category 2 and 3 open fires have also been banned everywhere in the Coastal Fire Centre.
- Because the human-caused fires from this season are still under investigation the BC Wildfire Service can't speak to specific causes, but generally speaking the trend is towards the same categories that are seen in the statistics year over year: escaped open fires such as campfires, industrial activities, arson, firearms use—including binary exploding targets—and vehicle accidents to name some of the top ones. The common denominator for virtually all of these fire causes is that they are preventable.
- The campfire prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less than 15 cm tall. The BC Wildfire Service encourages the public to continue to enjoy outdoor activities, but to be diligent and responsible and follow all prohibitions that are in place.
- BC Wildfire is continuing to improve the features available on the BC Wildfire Service app. New this year: when you click on the full details tab for an incident, you can now access a share button to pass on information about just that incident. The app will also be linked to the BC Wildfire Service blog, for easy access to information bulletins put out by the fire centre. Residents can report wildfires using the app, so the agency encourages residents to download it to stay informed and help with early wildfire detection.
- Make sure your home is FireSmart and that you have a safety plan in case of a wildfire emergency by visiting wildfireready.gov.bc.ca.
- Everyone can do their part to reduce human-caused wildfires. Report wildfires immediately to 1-800-663-5555 or *5555.
- For accurate information on emergencies, response and recovery resources, please visit emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca
As of Aug. 2, in B.C. there are 147 active wildfires, of those, 43 started in the last 24 hours.
So far this season—which began April 1—B.C. has seen approximately 762 wildfires burning over 727,080 hectares of land.
Of these fires, about 51% were human-caused, while lightning strikes accounted for roughly 45%. The remaining causes are still undetermined.
