Lacombe County reminds you to burn safely all year round

November 01, 2024

General

Lacombe County Fire Service reminds residents that although fire permits are not required between November 1 and February 28, there are still crucial safety expectations for any controlled burns conducted outside of the official fire season.

“Any burning must be done in a safe and controlled manner. We all must practice responsible burning all year long, even if fire permits aren’t required,” said Dave Bain, Manager of Fire and Emergency Services. “Lacombe County reserves the right to invoice residents for fire department responses to fires that are not compliant with these regulations.”

Fire Protection and Safety Guidelines:

Under Lacombe County's Fire Protection Bylaw, fire permits are required from March 1 to October 31 each year. Although permits aren’t mandatory from November 1 to February 28, safety remains essential for the well-being of residents and the environment. To ensure a safe burn, follow these guidelines:

Check the Weather: Always monitor the forecast. Avoid burning on windy days, as gusts can quickly escalate a small fire into a wildfire.

Clear a Safe Zone: Create a 10-foot safe area around your burn site, free from flammable materials like dry grass or leaves.

Have Equipment Ready: Keep a hose, water source, and fire-control tools on hand, and never leave a fire unattended.

No Household Garbage: Only burn clean, dry wood or vegetation. Never burn household garbage, plastics, or chemicals.

Keep it Small: Maintain a manageable fire size to stay in control.

Responsible Supervision: An adult should oversee the fire at all times, and everyone present should know how to dial 911 in an emergency.

Respect neighbours: Be mindful of smoke and embers, which can disturb nearby properties.

Important Regulations:

Even when permits aren’t required, certain regulations apply:

Smoke should not cross major roadways or disturb neighbouring properties.

Wind speeds must be under 15 km/hour.

If a passerby calls 911, Fire Services must attend the scene to verify it is a non-emergency.

Forest and Prairie Protection Act Requirements:

Additionally, Section 22 of the Forest and Prairie Protection Act remains in effect year-round, stating that no person shall:

Light an outdoor fire without first taking precautions to control it at all times.

Light an outdoor fire when weather conditions could cause it to spread.

Fail to take reasonable steps to prevent the fire from spreading beyond their property.

Leave any burning materials in a place where they could ignite other matter.

Conduct activities with fire in a forest protection area without exercising reasonable care.

In addition, the Forest and Prairie Protection Act states that:

Burning must not create physical discomfort to neighbours and impair visibility on roadways.

There shall be a minimum 15-meter guard cleared of flammable materials around debris pile.

Before windrows or piles of brush or debris can be burned:

Where the debris is a result of land clearing, debris windrows can be no longer than 60 meters in length with 8-meter breaks between each 60-meter window.

- No windrow can be closer than 25 meters to uncleared land or standing hazardous fuels.

- They must be separated from parallel windrows by at least 15 meters.

Permitted and Prohibited Materials:

Only certain materials are permitted for open burning:

Permitted: Brush, fallen trees, straw, grass, weeds, leaves, clean wood waste, cardboard, and paper products.

Not Permitted: Preserved wood, automobile parts, tires, rubber, plastics, used oil, manure, pathological waste, asphalt shingles, and any materials prohibited by the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.

“We want to emphasize that no garbage of any sort can be burned, regardless of the time of year,” emphasized Bain. “We have easily accessible landfills for anyone who needs to properly dispose of their garbage, ensuring that our air, water and land doesn’t become contaminated from burning garbage.”

Anyone caught burning garbage will be fined as follows: $250 for a first offence, $500 for a second offence, and $1000 for a third offence.

For questions or to confirm that your burn complies with safety guidelines, please contact Lacombe County at 403-782-8959. Let’s work together to ensure a safe and responsible community, even when permits aren’t required. Thank you for your cooperation.