Under the Fire Protection & Life Safety Bylaw 775 which was adopted in 2010, no person shall light or start an open air fire within the District without first having obtained a burning permit from the Fire Chief or his designate. These permits are available free of charge at the District Office and can be issued for a onetime event or for an extended period of up to one year.
The only time a permit is not required is during the following situations:
- Burning refuse or garden waste only in an incinerator covered with a screen to prevent flying sparks and approved by the Fire Chief;
- The cooking of food using a portable barbeque apparatus;
- Burning on privately owned lands or in developed campgrounds where fireplaces, stoves, and/or fire pits are provided and approved by the Fire Chief.
- Burning by the Fire & Rescue Services for the purposes of training.
If you are contemplating an open burn:
- Consider your options to compost, recycle, or haul the material to the Hudson’s Hope Transfer Site.
- Be a good neighbour. Burn only when it will not affect the health and welfare of the community.
- Call the BC Ministry of Environment to check the ventilation index at 1-888-281-2992. The index must be “good” for the day of the burn and “fair” or “good” for the second day of the burn.
- Check the wind conditions. If the wind is strong enough to carry sparks and embers to other combustible materials postpone your burn.
Remember that your burn must comply with the Environmental Management Act and the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation as well as the British Columbia Wildfire Act.
Please remember these measures are in place to protect the health and safety of you and your neighbours. If you have any further questions regarding your burning activities please stop by the District Office to speak to Brad Milton the Director of Protective Services, or call 250-783-9901 Ext. 208.
Visit bcairquality.ca for more information on the Environmental Management Act and the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation.
For more information on backyard burning and your obligations under the British Columbia Wildfire Act, see Backyard & Industrial Burning at bcwildfire.ca.
For more information on Industrial and Resource Management burning and your obligations under the British Columbia Wildfire Act, see Industrial & Resource Management Burning at bcwildfire.ca.
Contact:
Fred Burrows
Director of Protective Services
250-783-9901 Ext. 208
Email: fred@hudsonshope.ca
