nwfc external newsletter june 2016
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Another wildfire season has arrived and the Northwest
Fire Centre (NWFC) has been busy suppor ng other
centres with fire suppression resources. Crews have
responded to 25 fires in the NWFC which is greater
than the ten year average of 21 fires by June 1st. 40 fire
fighters and 7 support staff from the centre are
currently deployed to the Prince George Fire Centre
and to Alberta while sufficient personnel remain ready
to respond to local incidents.
All of the fires in the northwest so far this season have
been human caused. The largest fire was discovered
April 18th burning west of Dayeezcha Mountain, roughly
44 kilometres southeast of Burns Lake. Pushed by
strong winds, the fire grew to 129.5 hectares before
being contained by fire fighters with the support of two
helicopters. Par ally bounded by roads, the fire was
contained on April 22nd. The Whitebo om Forest
Service Road fire, located 19 kilometres southwest of
Terrace, was discovered and ac oned on May 12th. It
was 8 hectares in size, burning on a steep slope, with
smoke visible from Terrace due to wind condi ons. The
fire was contained May 19th.
With an early snow melt and warm temperatures,
spring condi ons were drier than average throughout
April and May. Danger ra ngs reached “high”
throughout most parts of the centre over the May long
weekend and have dropped slightly with precipita on.
There are currently no open burning or campfire
prohibi ons in the NWFC, however, fires larger than 2
metres by 3 metres or grass over 0.2 hectares requires
a burn registra on number which can be obtained at 1
888‐797‐1717. Members of the public and industry
operators are encouraged to be careful with all burning
ac vi es and check for updated condi ons or
restric ons at www.bcwildfire.ca.
Another early start to the wildfire season
2016.06.01
The largest fire so far this season was the Dayeezcha Mountain fire.
YourWild ireNewsAs this is the first edi on of Wildfire News in 2016,
I’d like to take the opportunity to welcome part‐
ners and stakeholders, communi es and industry
back into the fold of Northwest Fire Centre opera‐
ons. I hope that everyone enjoyed a safe and
healthy winter.
Throughout the fire season, Wildfire News will be
distributed monthly with the possibility of addi on‐
al issues as fire ac vity dictates. The intent of this
newsle er is to provide useful and relevant infor‐
ma on including an update on fire ac vity, weath‐
er indices and background informa on on various
topics. For more informa on about this newsle er
or if you’d like to be removed from our contact list,
please contact Haley Williams, Fire Informa on
Officer at [email protected].
P A G E 2
Provincial Wildfire Overview
The BC Wildfire Service (formerly the Wildfire Management Branch) is the
lead agency in BC responsible for wildfire suppression and preven on
ac vi es. The Provincial Wildfire Coordina on Centre is located in
Kamloops and Headquarters (HQ) is in Victoria.
The Northwest Fire Centre (NWFC) is one of six regional wildfire
opera onal centres within BC.
It encompasses the
northwest corner of the
province and the boundaries
extend from the north coast
to just west of Endako and
from the Yukon border south
to Tweedsmuir (North) Provincial Park.
Within each fire centre are several fire zones. There are four zones within
the NWFC: Nadina, Bulkley, Skeena, and Cassiar.
The NWFC has four 20‐person unit crews, eight 3‐person ini al a ack
crews, and 41 staff in various opera onal and support roles.
About the Northwest Fire Centre
To date, the BC Wildfire Service has responded to 320 wildfires
throughout the province, which have burned 90,768 hectares.
This is significantly more than the 10‐year average of 5,843 hec‐
tares. On a single day, April 18th, 34 new wildfires flared up in
the Prince George Fire Centre resul ng in four evacua on alerts
or orders being issued. All alerts and orders have now been
recinded.
There are currently three wildfires of note, all located within the
BC Peace Region:
Bea on Airport Road, 45 kilometres north of Fort St. John
covers 15,739 hectares and is 90% contained.
Halfway River, 30 kilometres northeast of Hudson’s Hope
covers 5,636 hectares and is 80% contained.
Siphon Creek, 40 kilometres northeast of Fort St. John co‐
vers 85,300 hectares in BC and Alberta.
While recent precipita on across most of the province has lowered danger ra ngs, a warming and drying trend is ex‐
pected for the next few days with the possibility of a warmer than average summer.
Air support on the Halfway River fire.
P A G E 3
NWFC in the Community
Training
The Firebird Unit Crew helped collect greenery to decorate a booth for the Terrace Business Expo in April.
Chainsaw training (top
le ), New Recruit Boot
Camp (top right) and hover
exit training (bo om) help
fire fighters get ready for
the fire season.
P A G E 4
Refresher: Prac ce Safe Burning this Spring
Backyard burning can be an effec ve way to manage yard
waste and return nutrients to the soil, however fire must
be used with cau on.
If you plan on conduc ng a backyard burn this spring,
make note of the following recommenda ons and ensure
you have the necessary equipment and assistance on hand
to control the fire.
Make Responsible Burning Decisions
The Wildfire Act puts the onus on you to use fire safely.
This requires you to determine if you can burn safely be‐
fore ligh ng a fire and take reasonable precau ons to en‐
sure the fire is contained.
Check for bans or restric ons on open burning at
bcwildfire.ca or phone the Fire Informa on Line at
1 888 3FOREST.
Check the wind condi ons. If the wind is strong enough
to carry sparks or other combus ble material, do not
burn.
While burning, you must ensure that:
A fuel break is maintained around the fire
A suitable fire suppression system is available
The fire is watched and patrolled at all mes
The fire does not exceed your capacity to control it
or prevent escape.
Be Prepared to Respond
Under the law, you must watch the fire to prevent escape.
If an escape occurs, the person responsible for the fire
must be equipped with at least one fire figh ng hand tool
to control and ex nguish the fire.
To keep the fire from spreading further:
First, try to ex nguish it.
Second, report the escaped fire as soon as possible by
calling 1‐800‐663‐5555 or *5555 on your cell.
Con nue carrying out fire control un l officials arrive on
site.
Ex nguish the Fire Properly
You must ex nguish the fire before leaving the area. En‐
sure that ashes are cold to the touch.
About the Wildfire Act
The Wildfire Act specifies your legal obliga ons when us‐
ing fire for campfires, backyard burning, industrial/
agricultural burning and resource management purposes.
Contraven on of the Wildfire Act is an offence. A person
who contravenes the Wildfire Act may be liable for an ad‐
ministra ve penalty, a fine upon convic on and/or fire‐
figh ng and rehabilita on costs as specified in the Wildfire
Act.
P A G E 5 A guild to open fire regula ons
P A G E 6
Precipita on
Temperature Rela ve Humidity
These maps are for informa onal purposes only and should not be used to make opera onal decisions.
Fire Danger Ra ng
These maps are current for Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at 1200 PST.
For the most recent weather maps, please see www.bcwildfire.ca/weather
P A G E 7
Northwest Fire Centre Indices
Validasof08:30Wednesday,June1,2016
Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC)
This code rates the moisture content of cured fine fuels and forest floor li er. It is an indicator of how easily fine fuels will ignite and burn.
Drought Code (DC)
This is a numerical ra ng of the average moisture content of compact, deep organic layers. It is a useful code for in‐dica ng the effects of seasonal drought on forest fuels, and the amount of smouldering that could occur in large logs and deep duff layers.
Duff Moisture Code (DC)
A code that rates the average moisture content of loosely compacted organic layers found at a moderate depth. It indicates fuel consump on in medium‐sized woody mate‐rial and in moderate duff layers.
The Danger Class Report provides both forecasted and es mated Fire Danger Ra ng values for specific weather sta ons. Danger Class and Fire Danger Ra ng are equiva‐lent, where 1 and 2 Danger Class equal “low” FDR, 3 equals “moderate”, 4 is “high”, and 5 equals “extreme”.
Different types of codes are used to determine the dryness of forest fuel classes on a given day. These codes are cal‐
culated from weather data gathered by weather sta ons situated throughout the province.
These codes are part of the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Ra ng System, which provides a numeric, uniform method of
ra ng fire danger. Examples of some of the codes are as follows:
P A G E 8
There are currently no prohibi ons in the Northwest Fire Centre
ImportantNumbers Report a wildfire *5555 on a cell or 1 800 663 5555
Wildfire Informa on Line 1 888 3FOREST
Burn Registra on Line 1 888 797 1717
Northwest Fire Informa on Officer 1 250 847 6639
Wantmoreinformation?Visitourwebsiteatbcwild ire.ca
Devon Barnes from the Cassiar Zone reminding the public to report wildfires.