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Conditions spark the start of fire season
By Carl Mickelson, Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 | No comments posted.
Fire season begins at midnight Thursday.
That has special significance for timber operators and people who live in unincorporated cities, because both will need to abide by new burning rules.
The start of fire season means an end to unregulated burning for rural Coos, Curry and Western Douglas County residents and the beginning of summerlong regulations that govern timber operations, according to officials from the Coos Forest Protection Association.
“The conditions on the ground have changed to a point where fire season needs to be put into effect,” said CFPA spokesman Tom Fields.
Written burning permits and on-site inspections are now required for all types of outside burning, including debris burning and the use of burn barrels, Fields said.
This year's fire season, comes about a week earlier than last year, when the fire season began July 1.
Last month, fire officials said they had battled a record number of debris fires to date and thought the 2006 fire season was right around the corner.
But thanks to the wet weather, the start of fire season was put off for nearly a month.
“We got a healthy dose of precipitation and favorable weather,” said Fields said. “That held things off pretty well.”
The number of fire calls also died down, he said.
A 15-acre gorse fire in Bandon in May, which threatened several homes and an RV park, got a lot of people's attention, reducing the threat of fires.
“After we got the word out, the public responded,” Fields said. “The public started to turn things around.”
Along with the end to unregulated burning, the start of fire season also means a change for timber operators because industrial fire regulations go into effect.
Under industrial fire precaution level 1 - which starts at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday - smoking is prohibited on or traveling through an industrial operation. In addition, specific fire tools and suppression equipment must be maintained at all operations. A fire watch also is required at all industrial operation sites unless waived or modified in writing by a fire warden.
“It puts more stringent requirements on us as far as what's required on the job site - water hoses, fire-fighting tools and fire watch,” said Eric Gehrke, the manger of harvesting and roads for Plum Creek Timber.
Gehrke said the industrial fire protection levels are “an added expense to the contractor,” but that in the “long run, it saves money.”
Plum Creek owns about 180,000 acres of timberland in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties supported by the CFPA.
As fire season progresses, additional restrictions and closures may be imposed, Fields said.
Burning permits are free and can be obtained by residents living in rural areas by calling a local CFPA office: Coos Bay, 267-3161; Reedsport, (541) 271-2224; Gold Beach, (541) 247-6241; Brookings, (541) 469-2302; Bandon and Port Orford, 347-3400; Bridge and Powers, 572-2796.
A fire warden will inspect the site and write the permit. Residents within incorporated cities should call local fire departments for burning restriction and permit details.
Fields also said that after people are done burning debris, they need to watch the fire site for an hour to ensure nothing flares up. He also asked that people refrain from burning on windy days.
For information on restrictions and closures, those interested can contact the CFPA Closure Information Line at 267-1789 or visit their Web site at http://www.coosfpa.net
That has special significance for timber operators and people who live in unincorporated cities, because both will need to abide by new burning rules.
The start of fire season means an end to unregulated burning for rural Coos, Curry and Western Douglas County residents and the beginning of summerlong regulations that govern timber operations, according to officials from the Coos Forest Protection Association.
“The conditions on the ground have changed to a point where fire season needs to be put into effect,” said CFPA spokesman Tom Fields.
Written burning permits and on-site inspections are now required for all types of outside burning, including debris burning and the use of burn barrels, Fields said.
This year's fire season, comes about a week earlier than last year, when the fire season began July 1.
Last month, fire officials said they had battled a record number of debris fires to date and thought the 2006 fire season was right around the corner.
But thanks to the wet weather, the start of fire season was put off for nearly a month.
“We got a healthy dose of precipitation and favorable weather,” said Fields said. “That held things off pretty well.”
The number of fire calls also died down, he said.
A 15-acre gorse fire in Bandon in May, which threatened several homes and an RV park, got a lot of people's attention, reducing the threat of fires.
“After we got the word out, the public responded,” Fields said. “The public started to turn things around.”
Along with the end to unregulated burning, the start of fire season also means a change for timber operators because industrial fire regulations go into effect.
Under industrial fire precaution level 1 - which starts at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday - smoking is prohibited on or traveling through an industrial operation. In addition, specific fire tools and suppression equipment must be maintained at all operations. A fire watch also is required at all industrial operation sites unless waived or modified in writing by a fire warden.
“It puts more stringent requirements on us as far as what's required on the job site - water hoses, fire-fighting tools and fire watch,” said Eric Gehrke, the manger of harvesting and roads for Plum Creek Timber.
Gehrke said the industrial fire protection levels are “an added expense to the contractor,” but that in the “long run, it saves money.”
Plum Creek owns about 180,000 acres of timberland in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties supported by the CFPA.
As fire season progresses, additional restrictions and closures may be imposed, Fields said.
Burning permits are free and can be obtained by residents living in rural areas by calling a local CFPA office: Coos Bay, 267-3161; Reedsport, (541) 271-2224; Gold Beach, (541) 247-6241; Brookings, (541) 469-2302; Bandon and Port Orford, 347-3400; Bridge and Powers, 572-2796.
A fire warden will inspect the site and write the permit. Residents within incorporated cities should call local fire departments for burning restriction and permit details.
Fields also said that after people are done burning debris, they need to watch the fire site for an hour to ensure nothing flares up. He also asked that people refrain from burning on windy days.
For information on restrictions and closures, those interested can contact the CFPA Closure Information Line at 267-1789 or visit their Web site at http://www.coosfpa.net
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