High Risk Activities

WHAT: Early shift means all high risk activities must stop by 1:00pm PST

WHEN: After three (3) consecutive days of HIGH all high-risk activities must cease by 1:00 pm

HOWEVER: After three (3) consecutive days of EXTREME cease all activities.

4) A person who, in accordance with subsection (3) (a) and Schedule 3, is required to maintain a fire watcher, must ensure that the fire watcher

• (a) can reasonably see the site of the high risk activity during the time the fire watcher is required,
• (b) has at least one fire fighting hand tool,
• (c) actively watches and patrols for sparks and fires on the site of the high risk activity,
• (d) immediately carries out fire control and extinguishes the fire, if practicable, and
• (e) has the means on site to report the fire. (landline or cellular)

BC Wildfire Regulation

•   a) mechanical brushing;
•   b) disk trenching;
•   c) preparation or use of explosives; (example: fireworks, blasting)
•   d) using fire- or spark-producing tools, including cutting tools; (example: grinders, cutting torches)
•   e) using or preparing fireworks or pyrotechnics; (example: fireworks, blasting)
•   f) grinding, including rail grinding; 
•   g) mechanical land clearing; (example: excavator, skidder)
•   h) clearing and maintaining rights of way, including grass mowing; (this is a commercial right of way lawn mowing.  NOT RESIDENTIAL LAWN MOWING)
•   i) any of the following activities carried out in a cutblock excluding a road, landing, roadside work area or log sort area in the cutblock:
  • operating a power saw; (unless on a landing)
  • mechanical tree felling, woody debris piling or tree processing, including de-limbing;
  • welding;
  • portable wood chipping, milling, processing or manufacturing; (unless on a landing)
  • skidding logs or log forwarding unless it is improbable that the skidding or forwarding will result in the equipment contacting rock;
  • yarding logs using cable systems.

YES
Residents can use their lawnmowers for cutting their lawns. If the lawn is green and requires cutting, and has been irrigated, it is fire resistant. If residents want to mow their lawn when it is dry and dead, we recommend holding off or using preventative measures such as pre wet and post wet lawn; and remain on site after mowing to watch out for smoldering fires. Have fire suppression available (garden hose) and a way to contact 9-1-1 if need be.

YES
Same principles as lawn mowing, but extra precautions should be discussed with the fire department is using metal disk blades.

YES
However, during shut down, there may be special fire prevention measures required. If not a critical job, we suggest holding off haying until the fire danger decreases. There are irrigated fields that are fairly safe to hay even in Extreme conditions.

NO
As long as the excavation is being done on rock, dirt or mineral soil. Examples of excavating could be construction sites, septic tank, driveway work, etc… Excavating doesn’t include land clearing.

YES
Chainsaw use is only permitted on non-combustible surfaces during shutdown.  (Surfaces such as green grass, gravel, dirt, roadway)

NO
Contractors can drill in rock under no restrictions. Blasting is only permitted in early shift or regular shift.
No Blasting is permitted during “SHUT DOWN”