Lacombe County Fire Service is reminding residents that even though a permit is not needed to have a controlled burn on their land, precautions still need to be taken.
The Lacombe County Fire Chief Drayton Bussiere, said residents should have some sort of water source nearby at all times and wait for the ground to be snow covered to ensure their fires burn safely.
The fire service responds to many reports of uncontrolled burns but only about five per year are actually out of control.
“We get called to controlled burns fairly regularly,” said Bussiere. “It’s quite often somebody that has driven by and thinks it’s out of control and it’s actually not.”
Section 22 of the Forest and Prairie Protection Act still applies even outside the fire season boundaries. The act states, among other things, that no one should light an outdoor fire without taking sufficient precautions, light an outdoor fire when weather conditions are not optimal and fail to take the steps to prevent a fire from spreading to others land.
Residents who break the regulations can be fined by the county fire service. The price of the fines vary and depend on how long it takes the fire service to put out the fire.
In addition to the Forest and Prairie Protection Act, there are regulations the county put forward around what is ok and not ok to burn. A full list provided by Lacombe County is available below. Residents who are unsure if their burn is compliant with all rules can call Bussiere at 403-782-8959.
Permitted
• Brush and fallen trees
• Straw, grass, weeds, leaves and tree prunings
• Used power and telephone poles that do not contain preservatives
• Solid waste from tree harvesting
• Clean wood waste from post and pole operations not containing wood preservatives
• Cardboard and paper products
Not Permitted
• Preserved wood
• Material from automobile bodies and tires
• Rubber
• Plastic
• Used oil and other petroleum-based products
• Manure
• Pathological waste
• Asphalt shingles
• Material prohibited by the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act