For more information contact:
Fire Chief Rodney Houle
(705) 865-2646
email rhoule@sables-spanish.ca

Message From the Fire Chief, Rodney Houle

Changes to the Open-Air Burning Bylaw
Please note the changes to this bylaw.  More information.
 

We Live in a Fire Environment

We don't think of wildfires as being in our back yards. The truth is, in the Great Lakes area, thousands of wildfires occur every year. Some are ecologically useful, while others are destructive. Long before our cities and towns were established, our forests and prairies burned as a result of lightning from frequent thunderstorms passing through the area.

Today, most wildfires are the result of careless use of fire by people. There are an increasing number of individual homes, subdivisions, and seasonal cabins being built in forested areas where fires can occur. Few are prepared to survive a wildfire. Our ability to live safely in this fire environment greatly depends on the actions taken before a wildfire occurs to improve the survivability of people and homes. They include proper vegetation management around the home, use of fire resistant building materials and appropriate subdivision design.

The Fire Environment

The fire environment includes many factors which affect the way a fire behaves. Weather, fuel and human activity are the key factors that affect how easily a fire will start, how fast it will spread and the direction it will go. We have no control over the weather, but we can change the fuels and human activity.

Weather

Weather influences the dryness of the fuels that burn in a wildfire. In the spring, from the time of snowmelt until the vegetation greens up, the risk of wildfire is often higher since dead grass and leaves can burn easily. Later in the year, hot summer weather can dry out vegetation and increase the risk of wildfires. The combination of lightning storms, high temperatures, high winds and dry fuels create prime conditions for wildfires. High winds, in particular, can transform a small, easily controlled fire into a catastrophic event in a matter of minutes.

Fuel

Fuel is required for any fire to burn. Fuel for a wildfire is usually dry grass, trees or shrubs. But a home in a fire's path will also burn. Changing the vegetation around a home, or the characteristics of the building itself, can keep a wildfire from reaching and destroying a home.

Human Activity

The risk of wildfire increases when people use fire in a wildland environment. Using alternatives to burning such as composting or chipping and keeping recreational fires small and contained will reduce the risk of wildfire.

Debris Burning

Every year wildland firefighters and local fire departments respond to thousands of wildfires. Careless debris burning causes many of these wildfires. Burning of household waste is illegal in most areas. Consider recycling, reusing and reducing.

Use alternatives to burning or, if you must burn, ensure you have a permit and follow the restrictions on that permit.

The Sables-Spanish Rivers Fire Department reminds everyone that the Ontario Fire Code requires smoke alarms to be installed on every storey of your home and outside all sleeping areas. This includes cottages, cabins and recreational vehicles. Failure to comply with this law can result in a ticket for $235 or a fine of up to $50,000.

For more information contact:

Fire Chief Rodney Houle

(705) 865-2646 or email rhoule@sables-spanish.ca

Fire Permits

Fire permits are required year round and are free of charge. Residents could be held responsible for the cost of extinguishing all or part of a fire if you contravene any portion of the burning bylaw.  Read the bylaw to determine if your planned fire requires a fire permit or not. 

Emergency Plan

A copy of the Township's Emergency Plan can be viewed here.

Emergency Management Ontario offers information on common summer and winter emergencies to enable people to be "prepared not scared".  Visit their website for more details.