Upcoming Fire Permit season begins March 1: Don’t forget yours!

February 29, 2024

General

Lacombe County is reminding all ratepayers of the upcoming fire permit season beginning March 1, 2024. In an effort to ensure community safety and environmental protection, the county enforces the requirement for fire permits for controlled burns. Unauthorized burning could lead to significant fines and charges.

Lacombe County reminds people that permit requests are free and easy to submit.

Obtaining a Fire Permit

Fire permits can be conveniently acquired at any time online via the Lacombe County website at www.lacombecounty.com, ensuring accessibility 24/7. Alternatively, permits are available in person at the Lacombe County Office during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), or by contacting the Community Services Department at 403-782-8959 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Dion Burlock, Director of Community Services, emphasizes, “Fire permits are not only free and easy to obtain, but they also provide a crucial layer of safety for our residents and their neighbours. Each permit includes detailed requirements to guarantee that burns are conducted safely and responsibly.”

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Lacombe County's Fire Protection Policy outlines strict consequences for burning without a permit. Offenders will face a mandatory $300 flat rate charge for fire department responses not requiring suppression efforts, along with potential charges under the Forest and Prairie Protection Act.

Safety First: Check Winter Burn Piles

Given the unusually dry winter, the county urges residents to vigilantly monitor any winter burn piles. These can smoulder unnoticed and reignite, posing a significant fire risk in spring. “It's critical to ensure that all controlled burns are fully extinguished and to adhere to safe burning practices throughout the year,” Burlock adds.

If you have done any burning this fall or winter, take the time to visit your burn site to make sure the fire is completely out. For further information, visit: https://www.alberta.ca/safe-burning.

Fire Response Charges

Property owners will be held financially responsible for fires resulting from negligence or failure to comply with permit conditions, including:

Fire truck: up to $700 per hour
Water truck: up to $700 per hour
Rapid response unit/mini pumper: up to $700 per hour
Rescue truck: up to $700 per hour
Command vehicle: up to $205 per hour
Additional equipment and personnel costs as per Lacombe County rates

(These rates are current up to April 2024)

Frequently Asked Questions

When do you require a fire permit?

The Forest and Prairie Protection Act prohibits the lighting of an outdoor fire, excluding an attended outdoor campfire which has been set for cooking or warming purposes, between March 1 and October 31 each year, on land in a permit area unless the person is a holder of a subsisting fire permit.

The Forest and Prairie Protection Act states that no person shall:

a) light an outdoor fire without first taking sufficient precautions to ensure that the fire can be kept under control at all times, or

b) light an outdoor fire when weather conditions are conducive to a fire readily escaping out of control, or

c) fail to take reasonable steps to control a fire to prevent it from spreading unto land other than his own, or

d) deposit, discard or leave any burning matter or substance in a place where it might ignite other matter and result in a fire.

How can you obtain a permit?

Beginning on March 1, fire permits can be obtained:

online from the Lacombe County website (https://www.lacombecounty.com/en/living-here/fire-permits.aspx)
in person at the Lacombe County Office
by calling 403-782-8959

What you need to know

In Lacombe County, fire permits are required during the fire season, which starts March 1 and ends October 31 each year, but can be extended if the risk or danger of wildfire exists.

Before lighting any fire, a permit holder must take precautions to ensure the fire is controlled at all times. The following rules apply to all permits issued in Lacombe County:

A fire permit is valid only for the period it is issued for.
Upon issuing a permit, the County may specify any special fire control condition that, at their discretion, is important to the safety of the county residents.
The fire must be set at the time and place indicated on the permit.
The number of fires set at one time and the minimum equipment needed may be specified on the permit.
Anyone who sets a fire under the authority of a permit must:
- Have a permit at the fire site.
- Produce and show the permit to a County employee on request
- Keep the fire under control, and
- Extinguish the fire before expiration, upon permit cancellation, or obtain a renewal.

What CAN you burn?

Burnable debris includes:

Brush and fallen trees
Used power and telephone poles that do not contain preservatives
Wood or wood products not containing preservatives
Solid waste from tree harvesting
Straw, stubble, grass, weeds, leaves, and tree prunings
Solid waste from post and pole operations that does not contain wood preservatives

What CAN'T you burn?

Prohibited debris includes:

Animal manure
Pathological waste (waste from human health centres)
Wood or wood products containing wood preservatives
Waste materials from construction sites
Rubber, including tires
Plastic, including baler twine
Oil
Containers that held pesticides or any other chemicals
Plastic or rubber-coated materials, including copper wire.

Recycling Reminder

Before considering burning, Lacombe County encourages residents to explore recycling options for plastics, metals, paper, and other recyclable materials. For more information on recycling services, contact the Recycle Info Line at 1-800-463-8320 or visit the Lacombe Regional Waste Services Commission website at www.lrwsc.ca.

Mailing Address:
Lacombe County Office
RR 3
Lacombe AB T4L 2N3

Physical Location:
40403 Range Road 27-4

Contact Us
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Email: info@lacombecounty.com
Phone: 403-782-6601
Fax: 403-782-3820